After the End
by Aria6
Summary: This fic is set after the Winter War... but Aizen emerges victorious. What will this mean for Soul Society? And what are his plans for the Espada? He hasn't given up on creating the perfect hybrid race... Ichi/Grimm, mpreg sort of, also some Shiro/Grimm, Renji/Grimm and Byakuya/Grimm... there will be a lot of sex in this fic. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: This is loosely inspired by Nova Alexandria's fics Crossbreeding the Future and Prize of Victory. So there will be many babies. XD Now, on with the show!

Grimmjow couldn't move. And it hurt like hell.

It really didn't help that Ulquiorra, the jackass, had dragged him into his quarters and dumped a beaten, nearly dead Kurosaki beside him. That was just humiliating, especially when the joker told him to tend to the kid. Did it look like he could fucking move?!

However, his natural healing factors were kicking in. It started with a few twitches, a bit of life coming back to his arms. Then it graduated to a very slow, careful reach. His hand brushed torn cloth and mutilated flesh, eliciting a soft moan from the ravaged soul reaper. A vicious grin split his face and Grimmjow considered poking him right in one of those brutal wounds. If anything could wake up the bitch it would be that.

But Kurosaki had saved his life. His grin turned into a scowl as he thought about it. Nnoitra was an unutterable bastard and if he ever got a chance, that cretin's guts would be decorating all of Los Noches. For the moment, though, all he could really do was follow Ulquiorra's orders. And while Ulquiorra could just go fuck himself, he owed the brat. So he'd obey, just this once.

Tearing apart the blankets on his bed Grimmjow got to work. Ulquiorra had dropped them both on the bed, which was an extra humiliation but useful at the moment. Grumbling to himself, he began binding the shinigami's wounds. Glazed brown eyes opened as he worked and Grimmjow glanced up, meeting them.

"Orihime." Ichigo's voice was slurred and Grimmjow frowned, wondering how much blood he'd lost waiting for the Espada to get functional. Touching his skin he found that it was cold. Not good. "Save you… Orih..ime…"

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up." Grimmjow examined the wound on his chest and decided he needed to do more than bandage it. Grimacing, he pressed his face to the shinigami and began to lick the torn and abraded flesh. The taste of shinigami blood made him want to vomit. Grimmjow had no idea why it tasted so bad to him, but he knew the aversion had started with his change to arrancar. When he'd been an adjuchas a shinigami would have been a delicacy. Now they were bitter on the tongue despite their power.

He wasn't trying to take Ichigo's power, though. He was actually giving power, what little he had left to give, and the shinigami's flesh soaked it up. That great wound on his chest stopped oozing blood and began healing just a bit. It would be a damned impressive scar though and Grimmjow laughed.

"Shit, it's going to match mine. Too bad I didn't give it to you." That would have been perfect. Satisfied that the worst wound was staunched, Grimmjow picked up the tattered blankets again. He just didn't have the strength to lick all of Kurosaki's wounds closed. Binding them up was the only option.

Maybe he would lick them some more when he'd regained his strength, if he was feeling charitable.

hr

Grimmjow flipped the pages of his book, ignoring the inert lump by his side.

It had been at least a day since Ulquiorra had opened a garganta to the Living World, taking Orihime with him. Something about follow up instructions and healing any downed Espada. Grimmjow couldn't give less of a shit but it did make sense. Ulquiorra was damned powerful and could really make a difference in the fight against the shinigami. And Orihime was even more potent in her own way, as long as her loyalty held.

Not that it mattered to him. He was still battered as hell and wasn't going anywhere. Kurosaki hadn't really woken up yet, just mumbling things about saving his girl. He seemed to think Grimmjow was the woman, which was annoying but useful. It had made getting him to the toilet easier, anyway.

Right now the shinigami was sleeping. Grimmjow took a moment to look into his face. He looked different when he was sleeping, all that determination and sense of superiority snuffed out. It was almost cute, especially the way he was drooling on the pillow. Grimmjow grunted and decided he could spare the power to heal some of Kurosaki's lesser injuries. Putting away his book he began pulling away his clothing. The stuff was spun of soul power and it was gradually coming back as he healed. A good sign but also annoying as Grimmjow actually had to remove it now to get at the wounds.

"Orihime, don't stop…" There was a moan and Grimmjow looked up to see brown eyes looking down at him. They were dazed and he wondered when Ichigo was finally going to snap out of this. Although his skin was hot. Did that have anything to do with his confusion?

"I'm not the woman. Shut up shinigami." He said gruffly. Kurosaki started mumbling but he ignored it. Pulling off the bandages he saw most of the cuts were puffy and red. That was normal, but some of them were swollen in a way he didn't like. Grimmjow devoted most of his attention and power to those and was pleased with the change in them when he was done. "Okay – " He suddenly paused as he noticed something poking him. "Oh you are not. Put that shit away right now." He said severely to the soul reaper who just moaned something about his big tit girlfriend. "Fuck." Grimmjow sat back and scowled at the tent in Kurosaki's hakama. "This would be funny if you actually knew who I am." He told the soul reaper who just looked at him with big brown eyes. "…Hm." Grimmjow hesitated a moment before undoing the hakama and pulling it down.

He just gazed at what had been revealed curiously. Of course, he knew what his own dick looked like. But his own crotch was not a good reference point for normality, and while the damn thing tried to get up it never managed to look like this. Grimmjow transferred his gaze to the balls underneath. He'd never actually seen those at all. He didn't have any to compare them to, but they looked okay.

For a brief moment he was tempted to ride the shinigami. The only arrancar who knew about his… situation… was Szayel, thanks to the occasional checkup. And Szayel had been sworn to secrecy with threats of dire punishment. Just to make sure, Grimmjow had gotten Aizen himself to have a talk with the scientist. He got all the reports so he understood the Espada's problem and had been willing to humor him. With Aizen's order, Szayel had kept the secret like his life depended on it. No one had any idea that he was not as male as he appeared.

That meant he'd had no lovers since becoming an arrancar. That kind of pissed him off sometimes, especially when the whores around Los Noches tried to get him in bed. They didn't understand that there was nothing he could do with them. No, he required a cock from his bed partner and he was damned if he'd let the other arrancar find out why. But now Kurosaki was in his bed, hard and ready for him. Why not take advantage of it?

"Because it would be rape, that's why." Grimmjow muttered as he gazed at that flushed organ. There was some shit he just did not pull and that was on the list. He'd never forced anyone as an adjuchas and he wasn't going to start now. But… was this really healthy, leaving Kurosaki this way? His body was already under a ton of stress. Maybe relieving the pressure would be a good thing. Hesitantly he reached out, wrapping his fingers around Kurosaki's dick. It was impressively large, nesting in a patch of bright orange curls. "I see you don't dye your hair." He said to the shinigami as he began to slowly stroke that straining cock. Kurosaki whimpered softly, his eyes rolling back a bit at the pleasure.

Grimmjow couldn't help but get turned on as he jerked off the shinigami. His reactions were pretty neat, although the way Orihime's name kept falling out of his lips was sort of annoying. Grimmjow couldn't blame him too much, though. The woman had much nicer tits than he did.

Kurosaki's meat was throbbing in his hand now and Grimmjow pulled his hand away, grinning as the shinigami whined and shifted, trying to thrust his hips up. He was going to try something new, something he'd never done before. It was a submissive gesture but Kurosaki was so out of it he wouldn't remember at all. And Grimmjow was curious. What would it taste like?

Kneeling in front of Kurosaki he lowered his face and licked the tip of the shinigami's cock, sampling the tiny drop of pre-cum. It didn't taste bad, sort of salty and a little bit sweetish. Not the least bit repulsed, Grimmjow slowly trailed his tongue over that sensitive flesh. Was he doing this right? Well, Kurosaki wasn't going to be complaining if he wasn't. And from the moans going on up there he had to be doing _something_ right.

He wasn't expecting Kurosaki to suddenly cum on him. One moment he was licking his dick like a lollipop, the next moment he had semen all over his face. Grimmjow cursed and grabbed a tattered bit of blanket, wiping off his face before glaring at the shinigami. Kurosaki was looking at him with soft eyes, a small smile on his face.

"Orihime… our first time…" He said and Grimmjow blinked. So were they actually girlfriend and boyfriend, or was this just Ichigo's fantasy? Interesting. Not that it mattered much. If the shinigami ever found out who had actually blown him off, he'd probably get a fist in the face.

"Yeah, my first time too." He said, then shifted uncomfortably. He hated to admit it, but blowing Kurosaki off had turned him on. "…Umph." It wasn't like the shinigami was in any condition to see what he was up to. Going over to a corner of the room he pried up a white tile, exposing his secret stash.

These were the things that he would die before letting any of the other Espada see… well, except for Halibel. He could have trusted her with his secret. Anyone else, he would have enlisted Szayel's aide in killing, no matter what that favor would have cost him.

It was his collection of yaoi and shota magazines and a small assortment of hand blown glass dildos. They were made in Soul Society, which didn't have mass production so each one was a genuine piece of art. Grimmjow smiled as he selected one that was threaded with beautiful patterns of gold and royal purple. The magazines he put back. They were to get him in the mood, which he didn't need at the moment. He was plenty horny as it was.

Opening his hakama he hissed as the fabric touched his arousal and glanced down. It wasn't very upright, which was no surprise. Szayel had called it an enlarged clitoris, but it looked like a dick. It didn't really act like one, though, and it was damned sensitive when he was even slightly aroused. Tight pants would have been a torture, which was why he'd chosen the looser hakama. Kicking the fabric away, he sat down on the tiled floor and spread his legs, exploring himself with his fingers.

Beneath the enlarged clitoris, dick, whatever you wanted to call it lay his vagina. Dark blue, damp curls surrounded the opening but Grimmjow didn't spend long looking at it. Szayel had called him a hermaphrodite, which was slightly better than freak. Freak was more accurate, though. Setting aside the painful thought he eased the toy inside, gasping at the sensation of being filled. He brought one hand to his cock and began very gently playing with the over sensitive flesh.

But the physical sensations weren't enough. They never were. Sometimes he imagined things out of his books, sometimes he just imagined the pleasure of combat, the joy of feeling his sword meet flesh, the final ruinous conclusion. Today, though, his mind went to a different fantasy. Something shameful, but it could be his dirty little secret.

"Kurosaki… unh…" Grimmjow growled softly as he imagined the shinigami winning a battle and reacting like a hollow, not a stupid human. Tearing his pants off and finding what he really was before using him like any hollow would. He could just imagine that big cock between his legs, the heavy weight of the teen's chest on his back. He began shoving the dildo into himself, hard, groaning as it pressed against his g-spot. That was _good._ "Fuck me… harder… ahn…!" The pleasure was filling him, growing to an unbearable height. Finally his inner muscles tensed and he grunted, closing his eyes as he rode out the climax. Then his head went up as he heard a titter, glancing around the room with wide blue eyes.

Kurosaki was looking at him. But he wasn't. His eyes were wrong, black and gold and blazing with hollow energy. Grimmjow stared as the thing in the soul reapers' body dragged himself closer, to the edge of the bed.

"_Tch. You're lucky my King is so banged up, arrancar, or I'd make that little fantasy of yours a reality."_ Grimmjow swallowed at the dark promise in that voice, his groin sending a twinge of approval. The rest of him wasn't sure if he should be titillated or horrified. _"Next time, remember… I am here, and I know how to take care of you…" _The creature leered at him before Kurosaki's head went down, his eyes closing again. Grimmjow took a deep breath and removed his toy. He'd need to clean it up properly before putting it away.

"Never happen." He told the slumbering shinigami. As attractive as that voice had been, to a hollow, he had a secret to keep. And that secret was far more important than his lusts.

Kurosaki's hollow could find someone else to fuck.


	2. Plans for the Future

Ichigo really woke up the next day.

Grimmjow was carrying in a load of laundry when the redhead woke up with a start and looked around, dazed and confused. That was normal, but then his eyes suddenly sharpened and he gave the arrancar a scowl that was both irritating and familiar.

"Grimmjow!" He tried to pull himself up and Grimmjow swore, dropping the laundry basket and quickly setting both his palms against Kurosaki's chest.

"Don't move you moron. Ulquiorra damn near killed you." He told the shinigami and the scowl weakened as something Grimmjow could almost call fear entered his eyes. Not fear for himself, though. That wasn't Kurosaki's style.

"Where's Orihime? Where's Nel?" He demanded and Grimmjow paused. He honestly had no idea where Nel had gotten to. Ulquiorra hadn't brought her in with Ichigo.

"I have no idea about Nel. Maybe Ulquiorra took her along… the bat took the woman to the Living World to help out Aizen." He told the shinigami, who bit his lip. "Whatever's going on there must be over by now, one way or the other." He wasn't sure why it was taking them so long to get back. If his side had won someone ought to be coming by to pick him up. And if his side lost, someone should be coming by to pick Kurosaki up. Either way, they should have seen someone by now. "I don't know what's taking them so fucking long to check up on us." Maybe they'd just been forgotten in the thrill of victory.

"…Can I get up now? I need to go to the bathroom." He said and Grimmjow shrugged, pulling his hands away. "How… have you been looking after me?" Ichigo asked in confusion, looking down at the bandages layered across his chest. Grimmjow nodded.

"You saved me from that jackoff Nnoitra. I owe you one." He said gruffly before gripping Kurosaki's arm as the teen tried to stand up. "Lean on me."

"I don't need help to go pee!" He protested and Grimmjow rolled his eyes. The shinigami could barely stand, although he was a lot better than he'd been right at the start. Then, Grimmjow had pretty much carried him.

"Yes you do. You're a fucking mess. And it's been two days, Kurosaki. I've seen you naked every damn day." He said and suddenly wondered. Would that hollow betray his little secret? Grimacing, he put the thought out of mind. He couldn't stop the thing from babbling if it decided to. Kurosaki was looking at him with a horrified expression. "What? You think I should've let you wet the bed instead? I sleep on that thing."

"You… I… just shut up." Grimmjow was pleased to see that the shinigami was blushing. What would he do if he knew about the blow job? Maybe he'd tell the teen himself someday just to watch him die of an aneurysm. He helped Kurosaki to the bathroom but the shinigami insisted on going on by himself, closing the door behind him. Grimmjow frowned as he heard the water running. Was he taking a bath? It was probably a good idea but he did have those bandages and about a million cuts and bruises. Shrugging to himself Grimmjow settled onto the bed and picked up his book. If Kurosaki didn't want his help, his pain was his problem.

There was silence for a good half hour, but then there was a muffled yelp and a thump. Frowning, Grimmjow set aside his book and went to check. Opening the door showed him a completely naked and trembling Kurosaki on his hands and knees.

"Nice view." He murmured, looking at a really fine back, tight ass and well-muscled arms. Arms that were just barely holding his weight at the moment. Kurosaki looked up with a scowl.

"Get the hell out – argh!" He gasped as Grimmjow knelt beside him and grabbed an arm, putting it over his shoulder. He scowled as he saw the red bleeding through some of the bandages.

"Did you get the memo that you almost died, soul reaper? I have a bit of healing power but it's not much, so stop fucking around." He snapped as he helped the idiot stand. "Come on, you're going back to bed and we're getting those bandages off. I want to see what you've fucked up now." Although he did smell much better than he had before the bath. Arrancar didn't really need to bathe but humans and shinigami could get pretty damn smelly.

Kurosaki clearly had issues with being nude around his worst enemy but Grimmjow just ignored it, getting him to the bed and under the covers. He'd replaced the ones he'd torn up and gotten some real medical supplies from the stores. The numero's had all run off – a reasonable reaction to the way he and Kurosaki had been laying waste to the place – so he had to do everything himself.

"Here, let's see what you've reopened." He muttered as he began peeling away the bloody bandages. To his disgust, it was the large cut on his chest. Kurosaki looked down and paled slightly as he saw the hideous mark there. "Hold still." He told the soul reaper before licking the wound again. Ichigo yelped and began to struggle before suddenly pausing.

"That feels… strange. What are you doing to me?" He asked and Grimmjow looked up, grimacing at the taste of blood in his mouth. He really did despise it.

"I'm healing you, dumbass. My saliva has healing properties." He said shortly then grinned. "And now you know why I never bit you." Biting someone in combat was sort of counterproductive for him. Kurosaki looked a little revolted but calmed down, letting him continue his self-appointed task. When the bleeding had finally stopped he pulled out a fresh roll of gauze. "Let's get this on you." It took a few minutes, especially since Kurosaki insisted on keeping the blanket over his crotch. Grimmjow didn't comment, remembering the way it had looked upright and twitching. That memory sent a bit of heat to his cheeks and he finished the bandaging quickly before pulling away. "Now go to sleep. I'm not up to making a garganta yet." He'd been draining his own power to heal Kurosaki, which had retarded his recovery.

"You'd do that for me?" Kurosaki asked, distracted from the thought of sharing a bed with him. Grimmjow shrugged.

"Not for you. I want to know what the fuck is going on and where everyone is. If they somehow managed to annihilate each other… that would be sort of awesome actually." Grimmjow said with a grin. It wasn't like he cared about most of the Espada. Kurosaki gave him a disgusted look before pulling the blanket over himself. Grimmjow sat back down beside him, reaching for his book again. But the soul reaper kept shifting uncomfortably. "What's the problem?"

"…I'm hungry." Came the answer and Grimmjow frowned. He'd been getting the shinigami to eat, but only once a day. Surely they didn't eat more than that? But maybe he needed more to recover from his wounds.

"Okay. Stay put and I'll get you something." There was plenty of food in the stores, refrigerated and frozen. Their shinigami masters had to eat and they liked variety in their diet. Grimmjow left to go make him an omelet. That was all he really knew how to make, so it was what the shinigami had been eating for the past two days. Amusingly, he'd kept mentioning how good 'Orihime's' cooking was tasting. Grimmjow wondered if he'd feel the same way now that he was awake.

When he got back he discovered his timing sucked balls. There were three people in his room now and he nearly dropped his tray as green eyes flicked over him.

"Ulquiorra!" Grimmjow couldn't help but be slightly relieved to see him. And the woman was with him, busy healing up Kurosaki's injuries. "About time. What happened? Who won?" He honestly wasn't sure what answer he was hoping for. Sure, Aizen was his side. But if the bastard died he would finally be free to return to his life in the sands of Hueco Mundo. Being caged had never suited him at all.

"Aizen-kami has ascended to his throne in the Spiritual plane." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow didn't miss the horror on Kurosaki's face. Or the way tears were running down the woman's face even as she healed him. Why were they… oh, right. That meant Karakura town was gone. "All the remaining Espada are called to a meeting."

"Remaining? Who's dead? Tell me Nnoitra is dead." He demanded, putting Kurosaki out of mind. Even if he'd been inclined to comfort the bitch he wouldn't know how to do it. That was not his style.

"He is. Aizen has resurrected most of the fallen Espada, but because of his attack on you Nnoitra will not be returning to us." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow blinked in surprise. He owed Aizen one for that. "Aaroniero has also not been returned, for falling to a woman who did not even possess a bankai."

"Won't miss him." Grimmjow grunted. That left two open spots in the Espada. Maybe Aizen would make new arrancar to fill them or maybe he would just promote some of the privaron Espada. There would definitely be a rank shuffle and the thought made him grin. He'd be the fifth Espada soon.

"Indeed. Come, we do not want to keep Aizen-kami waiting." With that Ulquiorra shattered Orihime's healing shield and grasped Ichigo's collar, lifting the soul reaper. Kurosaki scowled, giving Ulquiorra his best defiant look. "He will want this thing as well." He said emotionlessly and Grimmjow frowned. What would Aizen want Kurosaki for? Well, he'd probably be finding out soon. Then Ulquiorra tossed the shinigami towards him. Grimmjow had to react fast to catch him, staggering under the weight. "Bring him. I will bring the woman." Then Ulquiorra grasped Orihime and sonido'd out. Grimmjow scowled after him.

"Oh yeah, heal his injuries but nevermind mine…" He grumbled before looking at Kurosaki. He was almost completely healed and he still had his sword. If he wanted to make a break for it Grimmjow was going to have trouble putting him down. "You coming?" He wasn't going to carry the bitch, not now. Kurosaki hesitated before scowling.

"I don't have much choice, do I?" He asked and there was a bitter note in his voice that Grimmjow had never heard before. He gave the soul reaper a curious look and saw that the look in his eyes was just as bitter as his voice. "Everyone I know is dead."

"…" Grimmjow honestly had no idea what to say. If everyone he knew died, he might mourn Halibel for a few minutes. Then he'd be savoring his newfound freedom as he returned to the sands of Hueco Mundo. "You want sympathy from me, shinigami? You've come to the wrong store to buy that shit. Come on, Aizen-kami is waiting." He said roughly and Ichigo's expression turned from pain to anger. That was good, anger he could deal with.

They went to the meeting room in silence. Everyone else had already taken their places, Orihime standing behind Ulquiorra's chair. Grimmjow could practically feel Ichigo bristling with rage at the man at the head of the table.

"Aizen – mph!" Grimmjow slapped a hand over Kurosaki's mouth. The soul reaper grabbed his wrist and tried to drag it away, but he wasn't allowing it. He still owed the brat something for saving him from Nnoitra. Saving the shinigami from his own temper could be the second half of his payment.

"Aizen-kami. Do we need to have him here? I think he's a little upset." Grimmjow said which made a chuckle around the table. Aizen actually smiled and the Espada could tell he was in a very good mood. Well, why wouldn't he be? He'd just become divine.

"One moment." Aizen lifted his hands and there was a surprised sound from Kurosaki. Grimmjow glanced over to see he was wearing… no, a metal collar had been fused to his neck. "Take him back to your quarters, Grimmjow. We will wait for you to return." Aizen picked up his teacup, savoring the brew as Grimmjow nodded and grabbed the soul reaper, dragging him out of the room.

"What the fuck? Grimmjow, you asshole!" Kurosaki snarled at him as soon as his hand was removed, not to his surprise. He'd been silenced like that once or twice by various Espada and his reaction had always been pretty similar.

"You were about to get yourself fucked over, Kurosaki. Aizen doesn't take back talk." He warned. Ichigo just gave him a furious look. "Go back to my room and eat your food. I'll be back for you later." He didn't know what that collar was, but he had a feeling Ichigo would obey his commands.

"…Fine." The soul reaper spat after a tense moment and shunpo'd away. Grimmjow relaxed slightly before returning to the meeting room.

The meeting started with a bunch of reports from the Espada. They'd been heavily involved in taking control and putting down riots in Soul Society. From the sounds of it, a lot of shinigami had died. But with their command structure already torn to pieces and the Soutaichou dead, Soul Society really hadn't stood a chance. Most of the Divisions were still largely intact, though. Aizen still needed the shinigami to take care of the balance of souls. The arrancar just couldn't do it, without the proper zanpakuto to send the spirits on.

At Aizen's request Halibel gave them all a full list of the surviving taichou and fukutaichou. Grimmjow wondered why any of them cared. He didn't even know most of them, except the midget, Rukia. And it wasn't like he gave a crap if she was alive or dead.

"Now, my Espada, I have a new task for you." Aizen said and Grimmjow didn't like his smile one bit. Something was up. "I have decided that I do not want my arrancar to come to an end. I could continue to locate powerful adjuchas and break their masks, but my duties as the Soul King will keep me in the spiritual realm most of the time." He sounded slightly regretful and Grimmjow wondered what the spiritual plane was like. He doubted he would ever get to see it. "Instead, I would prefer my arrancar to breed naturally." There was a stunned silence and Grimmjow saw Ulquiorra actually blink in surprise. "And I would like to see the results of breedings between shinigami and arrancar. Szayel has determined that it is feasible."

"We're getting put to stud?" Grimmjow asked then sniggered. He didn't have much to worry about. He knew for a fact that he was infertile. Aizen just gave him a benevolent smile.

"If you want to see it that way." He said politely and then conversation broke out. All of the arrancar were interested, even lazy Starrk. To Grimmjow's amusement, no one was really opposed to the command. But then, hollows fucked like there was no tomorrow, which often there wasn't. And at higher levels of evolution they always desired cubs. It was part of why female hollows had such a rough time. He did notice that Halibel was completely silent. She'd always preferred the company of other females – everyone knew her fraccion were also her lovers – so that was hardly a surprise.

"I want the woman." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow decided to mess with him.

"They're all going to be women, Quatro. Which one in particular are you looking at?" He said with a grin and Ulquiorra shot him a mildly disgusted look.

"Orihime Inoue." He spelled out with exquisite politeness. Aizen nodded.

"As you wish." He replied. The other Espada mostly had partners assigned to them, since they didn't know any of them. Barragan did ask to have the most boyish looking one and Aizen assigned him someone named Soi Fon. Grimmjow felt bad for her. Everyone knew Barragan was an ass man although he'd have to amend his tastes if he wanted to get any cubs out of it. Then Aizen got to the trickiest of the Espada. "Halibel. I know this is distasteful for you, so in light of your special sacrifice I will return your fraccion to you." Her eyes went very wide at that and she stared at Aizen for a moment. But then she looked down at the table in front of her.

"Aizen-kami, I want nothing more than to obey your instructions. However, I have a… disability that may prevent it." She said and Grimmjow was puzzled. A disability? "When I first became vasto lorde I was unlucky and attracted the attention of another vasto lorde. He captured and attempted to rape me." She stated flatly and Grimmjow winced. That was fairly typical although it really was bad luck that she'd run into another, higher vasto lorde. "That was how I discovered I have… shark teeth in my vagina." She said and there was a mass recoiling from the men around her. Even Aizen leaned back. "I don't know if they only react to painful intrusions. They might but… experimenting…" She shrugged helplessly and Aizen nodded.

"I see." He said gravely before considering the problem for a moment. "Szayel, please investigate this with Halibel. I will resurrect your fraccion regardless of the outcome."

"Thank you Aizen-kami." Halibel said gratefully and Grimmjow rubbed an eyebrow. Aizen really was in a good mood today. Then his lord and master looked at him.

"Now, Grimmjow." Aizen's voice was a gentle caress and Grimmjow stiffened as the other Espada watched curiously. "This may be even more difficult for you than Halibel. But as the only other Espada capable of bearing children, there is a duty before you."

"…" Grimmjow felt a moment of complete horror as Aizen revealed his secret before the collective Espada. They were all staring, even Halibel. "Shut the hell up Aizen!" He snarled, even though he knew he was just begging for a punishment. "I'm infertile anyway!" Szayel nodded, seconding that. But Aizen just laughed.

"I am kami, Grimmjow. I will fix that." He waved a hand and Grimmjow grunted as he felt something touch him. It was a power so far above his own that he couldn't even perceive it properly but he could feel the effects. Something inside him changed and Grimmjow blinked as a feeling of… rightness went through him. Aizen had just fixed something that was broken and his body registered approval of the change. That wasn't enough to calm him, though.

"No. No no no." Grimmjow glanced around the room, considering making a break for the door. Panic was starting to set in. When the other Espada knew what he was… oh this was bad. "I'm not doing this. This is not happening." He was too busy looking around to see Aizen frown.

"Grimmjow, calm down." Aizen's voice wasn't just soothing, it was a command backed up by power. Grimmjow attempted to resist but it was as futile as a child fighting an elephant. His breathing evened out as the panic and anger slipped away.

"Aizen? How can he have children? I really want to know so I can go back to my nap." Starrk said before yawning. Aizen smiled in amusement.

"Szayel, please give the other Espada the details." He requested and everyone looked towards the scientist. Grimmjow just put his elbows on the table and rested his face in his hands. Kami might have calmed him but this was still mortifying. Szayel adjusted his glasses before speaking.

"Grimmjow appears to be male but is actually a pseudo-hermaphrodite…" Grimmjow tuned him out as he surreptitiously checked the other's reactions. Most of the Espada seemed to be fascinated and a touch disgusted. Barragan was hard to read, which wasn't reassuring and Yammy was giving him a grin. That was even less reassuring.

"What am I gonna do if I actually get pregnant?" Grimmjow growled when Szayel was finished. "I'll be helpless! I'm an Espada, I can't afford that shit." Anyone could challenge them at any time. That was the downside to holding power. And if he became pregnant his power would be gone for at least three months before he gave birth. He would still have some hierro but it would be tissue thin compared to his usual power. "I don't even have a fraccion!" Halibel would at least have her girls to watch her back. And the Tres Bestias were fearsome with Ayon to work with.

"That is why I am giving you Kurosaki Ichigo." Aizen said and Grimmjow blinked. Giving to him? "That collar he now wears is keyed to you, Grimmjow. He will obey any command you give, and if you call him with your power he will have no choice but to answer." Grimmjow frowned, not sure how he felt about that. He was going to be in charge of Kurosaki? It sounded sort of fun but the attitude could get old fast. "In addition, I am assigning you Kuchiki Byakuya. You will be living at his manor and supervising the Kuchiki clan."

"Supervising?" Grimmjow hoped he'd heard wrong but Aizen nodded. "What does that involve? Intimidating them and shit?" He hoped so. He could do that. But Aizen smiled and shook his head.

"No. I'm not particularly worried about the Kuchiki clan, Grimmjow. Just keep an eye on them. If you want to go above and beyond, you could check over their accounts and lore keeping." He said and the thought made Grimmjow want to cringe. He could barely read, and he only knew that much from Tosen pounding it into him. How the hell was he supposed to keep track of _lore_ keepers? He wasn't even sure what that meant! "Kuchiki-taichou defeated Yammy, so he will be more than capable of defending you." Grimmjow glanced at the stupid bastard and saw he was scowling. That was good, anyway. "Is that acceptable?"

"Not like I have much choice." He said gracelessly, trying to think of some way out of it. But he couldn't think of a thing.

It seemed he was going to be an honorary member of the Kuchiki clan starting tomorrow.


	3. Meeting Byakuya

Byakuya waited patiently for their 'guest' to arrive.

He was not eager to host an Espada at his family home. Unfortunately, there was no way around it. All the major clans and families were having arrancar put in place to watch them, although some were more troublesome than others. The Shihoin clan had received the most difficult, the former King of Hueco Mundo. That was a sign of Aizen's distrust of them. Barragan was the most competent Espada when it came to treachery and plotting.

So in some ways it was a good sign that they'd been given the Espada of Destruction. He was reputed to be a mindless beast. Byakuya thought that was exaggerated but there was still no way such a man could hope to understand what the Kuchiki clan did for Soul Society. So Aizen did not think they were a threat.

Of course, the arrancar might still be a danger to them. Byakuya could not go against his commands so he would have to learn to manipulate the man, keep him from harming the servants or interfering with their work. And then there were Aizen's other orders. Byakuya grimaced inwardly at the thought.

After Hisana had died, he'd sworn he would never remarry. And he wasn't thinking about it now. But with Aizen's 'request' the clan elders had quietly indicated that a betrothal and marriage would not be necessary in this case. And the need for an heir was urgent now. Before the Winter War he'd had two cousins, both of whom had been intelligent, responsible and possessed shikai. Unfortunately, they'd both perished in the fighting. And Byakuya was well aware of how an upset succession or a poor choice of clan head could destroy a clan. The Shiba clan was a perfect example. Once they had been almost as prominent as the Kuchiki. But after one clan head left to live with a human woman and the second died against a hollow, they'd suffered two years of infighting to determine who would lead the clan. The woman they'd ended up with was simply not suited to the job and their position as a prominent clan had been utterly destroyed. Byakuya was determined that the same thing would not happen to the Kuchiki clan. And if he didn't provide an heir it very well might. If he died tomorrow there would be a nightmare of competing claims. So despite his distaste for the idea, he truly was obligated to be intimate with this arrancar.

Until he saw the man, it never would have occurred to Byakuya to consider how Grimmjow felt about it. He'd assumed the Espada simply followed Aizen's instructions like loyal hounds. But as the arrancar finally arrived, kicking the occasional rock away like a petulant child, Byakuya saw that he looked almost as unhappy to be here as they were to have him. And Kurosaki, following close behind him, was scowling stormily.

That was interesting.

* * *

"Welcome to your new cage, Grimmjow." Grimmjow muttered to himself as he glanced over the manor walls and the wrought iron gate. "Fuck my life."

It wasn't that the manor looked bad. It actually looked pretty nice. He could see some really beautiful gardens behind the gate, including a massive fountain that seemed like an invitation for splashing. Grimmjow wondered how much he would offend people if he did it.

There was a guy waiting for them at the gate. Grimmjow paused to examine him for a moment. His long black hair and delicate features were a bit too pretty for his taste, but he could sense the power coiling with him. To hollows, power was always sexy. He was wearing silver hair clips, a white scarf and a taichou's haori. It didn't take a genius to figure out who he had to be.

"Kuchiki Byakuya." He introduced himself with a nod. Grimmjow nodded back.

"Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez." He said then jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "This dumbass is Kurosaki Ichigo, in case you didn't know."

"He knows. And stop calling me that!" Kurosaki snapped and Grimmjow grinned. Getting on Kurosaki's nerves was proving entertaining.

"You're the guy who almost fucked up my garganta. Where should I put my stuff?" He asked Kuchiki before glancing down at his sad little bag. "Not that I've got much." It was two changes of clothing, a hairbrush and a single personal item with a bit of sentimental value attached.

"I will show you to your rooms." He said and took them through the manor. Grimmjow immediately started memorizing the layout. It was a big place and it was definitely possible to get lost. But Los Noches had been even worse so he was sure he'd get the hang of it. "Will this be acceptable, Jaegerjaquez-san?" The guy asked and Grimmjow noticed that he seemed to be rather formal. He glanced around the room indifferently and nodded.

"It will be fine, Kuchiki-san." Byakuya looked a little surprised and Kurosaki looked like he'd bitten into a lemon. What was chaffing his ass? "I like the doors." He had patio doors that opened into the gardens. They made the space feel more open which was nice.

"Excellent. You will be staying in the connecting room, Kurosaki." Byakuya said and Ichigo scowled.

"Connecting room? Why?" He said and Grimmjow laughed. "What?" The shinigami sounded genuinely perplexed.

"You're my fraccion, Kurosaki. That means if I need anything you're it, and if someone attacks me you need to be here, not wanking off halfway across the house." Grimmjow said with a grin, enjoying the scorching look the teen gave him.

"Can't you defend yourself? I thought you were the King?" Kurosaki said, his voice dripping with contempt. Grimmjow's eyes narrowed and he glanced at the Kuchiki guy. He was watching them both with an unreadable expression.

"You know why I'm here, right?" He asked and the taichou nodded. "Are you okay with it?" He asked seriously and thought he saw a flicker of surprise in those calm grey eyes.

"I am resigned to the necessity. The Kuchiki clan needs an heir." He reached up and pulled down his scarf a little, revealing the iron band on his neck. "And I cannot refuse you in any case." He said and Grimmjow scowled.

"You can refuse me any time you damn well please. I don't do rape." He said gruffly and glanced over as Ichigo made a confused sound. "Look, Kurosaki. Aizen wants the arrancar to breed naturally and he wants to see what'll happen if we breed to shinigami." He said and wasn't too surprised when the teen gave him a horrified look, then turned it on Byakuya. The noble just met his gaze calmly. "And I'm technically a woman. So I've been assigned the two of you. Sorry."

"Sorry? Sorry?! Stay away from me you freak!" Kurosaki spat, gripping the hilt of his sword and drawing it in one smooth move. Grimmjow tensed, a flash of anger flowing through him. Sure, he thought of himself as a freak all the time, but it wasn't something he was going to take from fucking Kurosaki.

"Kurosaki Ichigo." Byakuya spoke before he could and the icy chill in his voice was impressive. "This is an order from Aizen-kami. Jaegerjaquez-san has no choice but to obey. Control yourself or you will be removed." There was a tense pause before Ichigo scowled and slung his sword back over his shoulder. "Now, apologize." Grimmjow couldn't help but grin. The noble sounded like a very strict teacher. But Ichigo stiffened in rage.

"I will never apologize to one of the monsters who helped destroy my town and killed my friends and family." He snarled before going through the connecting door, slamming it shut behind him. Grimmjow gazed after him for a moment, then shrugged.

"Whatever." He could see Kurosaki was hurting and taking it out on him. Maybe it was Aizen's calming whammy still working on him, but he could let it go. "Let him sulk for a while. Does this place have a spot to spar?" He wasn't going to let his skills get rusty. Byakuya nodded.

"I will show you." As the black haired taichou led him out the doors to the gardens it occurred to Grimmjow that he could be letting a servant do this. In fact, most nobles probably would. Was he giving the Espada so much personal attention because they would be sleeping together? Probably. Hollows could get it on without even knowing each other's names but shinigami were different. It was kind of intriguing. For now, though, he would just take advantage of it.

He wanted to know more about his new home.

* * *

_You're being a dick King._

"Shut the hell up." Ichigo growled before punching his pillow.

_Ichigo, he is right._ Zangetsu said and Ichigo bit his lip. When both sides of his power agreed it was almost a sure sign that he was wrong. _Grimmjow was not involved in the destruction of Karakura town. He was in Los Noches, fighting you._

"But if he hadn't exhausted me I might have won against Ulquiorra!" He argued and winced as his hollow blew him a raspberry.

_As if. You were completely healed when you took him on, King. The only way you could've won was if you let me take control. And since you didn't do that…_Ichigo scowled at the amused malice in his hollow's voice.

"Shut up! You're nothing but a monster. You wouldn't have gone back to Karakura town to stop Aizen." He said and his hollow sniggered.

_Damn right I wouldn't have. I'd have healed up Grimmjow then pinned him to a wall and fucked him. I knew he wasn't quite a guy right away, you know. Stupid arrancar, letting logic get in the way of scents._ His hollow sounded very cheerful and Ichigo gritted his teeth. _He has the musk of a female._

"…What does it matter." Ichigo muttered, all the anger suddenly dissolving into sorrow. He rested his head on the pillow, closing his eyes. "My family is dead. My friends are dead…" The pain of it was like a knife in his heart. He'd failed them. Failed all the people who had counted on him.

_That is not true, Ichigo._ Zangetsu said and Ichigo frowned, lifting his head. _Ishida and Orihime are certainly alive. Sado, Renji and Rukia may all be alive. And likely many of your other friends from Soul Society, like Toshiro, are still with us. But they may be in dire circumstances._ That thought made him sit up, glancing out the window. His room didn't have patio doors like Grimmjow's but it did have a view of the garden.

"I hadn't thought of that. You're right." Ichigo said, feeling unutterably grateful to his zanpakuto. Zangetsu had just given him his purpose back. "They probably need me. But how can I protect them now?" He was bound to Grimmjow.

_You will have to work through Grimmjow. _Zangetsu said and Ichigo grimaced at the thought. _Try to get closer to him, learn to manipulate him. Perhaps he can do something._

"Ugh. I'm not exactly good at things like that, Jii-san." It was really not his style. Although he could just try to be Grimmjow's friend. If Grimmjow was serious about not raping him the arrancar would probably be open to that.

_Oi, just be friendly to the kitty so he can get you some info on how your friends are doing._ His hollow's suggestion sounded much better. _It won't be hard, the cat needs you to look after him._

"…Why?" He asked, still puzzled. It seemed like as soon as he'd asked, Grimmjow and Byakuya had started talking about having kids. His hollow laughed and he blinked. "What?"

_Someone must have filled Byakuya in on the facts of life. Look, King, it's really rough being a female hollow. Part of the reason why is they almost completely lose their powers when they're pregnant. _Ichigo frowned as he listened. _Gestation is pretty short but he's still going to be helpless for at least three months. Nothing but basic hierro and I bet you five dollars Grimmjow has lots of enemies. Why else would Aizen give him two really powerful soul reapers?_

"So I really am his bodyguard?" That was such a strange thought. "Grimmjow must hate that." He muttered to himself. "I wonder what he'll be like pregnant?" The thought was rather horrifying. Grimmjow was temperamental at the best of times. What would he be like when pregnancy hormones got to him?

_Doesn't work that way for hollows, King. His pregnancy hormones will make him clingy and people pleasing. Actually, if you could wait that long, that would be the perfect time to ask him about your friends._ His hollow said cheerfully. _He'll be putty in your hands._

"Clingy and people pleasing?" Those were two words he would never, ever have associated with Grimmjow. "That's so the father doesn't abandon him?" He hazarded a guess and felt his hollow's agreement.

_Yeah. A pregnant female really needs the sire around. Otherwise she usually has to force an abortion to survive._ He said and Ichigo winced. _If you want to make friends why don't you go see if he wants to spar? I bet he'd love that._

"…Maybe later." Byakuya was still showing Grimmjow around. Ichigo frowned as he thought about it. Why was Grimmjow so respectful to the Kuchiki noble? But then, Grimmjow had always called him by his last name. Maybe it was just how he did things.

Sighing to himself, he went to the window and opened it to let in a bit of fresh air. The clash of sword against sword reached him and Ichigo blinked then shook his head.

If he was right and Grimmjow was sparring with Byakuya, it wouldn't be hard to convince him to spar.

* * *

Grimmjow looked at the spread in front of him with amusement.

Someone had clearly put a lot of effort into making them supper. Care that was totally wasted on Ichigo, who was glaring at the sushi like it had personally offended him. Byakuya sipped his tea and frowned faintly at the ryoka boy. Grimmjow decided to ignore them both and just enjoy the food.

Picking up the chopsticks he began sampling things. It was the first time in a long time that he'd had real food. Aizen had just let them make reishi pills, keeping the real food for the ones that needed it. Which was fair enough, the supply lines had been complicated enough already. So food like this was a rare treat. There was sushi, sashimi, fried squid and some little strips of beef that came with three dipping sauces. Ichigo still wasn't eating. Grimmjow finally gave in to temptation and poked him with the chopsticks, making him look up with an outraged look.

"Starving yourself ain't gonna help." He observed and Ichigo looked like he was about to say something nasty. But he bit it back, looking down at the food again.

"I suppose you're right." He finally said grudgingly. "And I should take some before you eat it all." Grimmjow glanced down at his plate in faint surprise. He did have quite a lot, but there was plenty.

"Yeah, make like a hollow, grab your share of the kill before it's gone." He said with a grin, trying to cheer the brat up. Ichigo just ignored him and took some of the sushi, eating it slowly. Grimmjow shrugged and took a sip of his tea. It was okay and went well with the food, although he was no fan of tea in general. They ate in silence for a while before Byakuya spoke.

"Jaegerjaquez-san, could I ask you something?" Grimmjow blinked at the formality and nodded, his mouth full. "Do you know what has happened to my sister, Rukia? No one has heard from her since the battle in Los Noches." Ichigo looked up sharply as Grimmjow hesitated, his mind going back to that meeting. He hadn't been paying much attention but Rukia's name was one of the few he knew, so he remembered.

"Call me Grimmjow. And yeah, she was assigned to Zommari." He didn't miss the way the Kuchiki noble stiffened. "You know him?" They might very well have run into each other in Los Noches. Byakuya paused for a moment before carefully sipping his tea.

"I defeated and destroyed him." He said calmly and Grimmjow winced.

"That's… not so good. Did he know your full name?" He asked hopefully and Byakuya shook his head.

"I didn't introduce myself to him." He said quietly before sipping his tea again and Grimmjow noticed that Ichigo was watching him intently. So Kuchiki's sister meant something to him.

"Then there's every chance he doesn't have any clue she's your sister. He would know she killed Aaroniero though." Grimmjow considered that a moment and shrugged. "They weren't buddies. She might be okay. I mean, aside from the whole breeding thing." That made Ichigo wince and look away as Byakuya's lips tightened. Grimmjow sighed to himself. He didn't really understand how the shinigami felt about this. For hollows, rape was pretty much a fact of life. You just learned to live with it. "Sorry." He said awkwardly. Byakuya waved his apology away.

"Thank you for the information." He said politely but Grimmjow could feel the atmosphere going straight to hell. Ichigo wasn't eating at all now, just staring into his tea and the Espada made a quick decision. This was killing the mood anyway so fuck it. He'd take his time getting laid.

"Yeah, well, thanks for the meal. I'm going to bed." He pushed himself up. Byakuya nodded as Ichigo kept staring into his tea.

"Sleep well." The noble wished him and Grimmjow nodded before leaving. When he got to his room he went onto the balcony. The sun had already set and he looked up at the sky, taking in the stars filling the heavens. They were beautiful and reminded him of Hueco Mundo, but the moon was wrong. Instead of the eternal crescent moon he was looking at a gibbous moon. Sighing to himself, he went back inside and flopped down on the bed, trying to sleep.

It was hard when nothing around him was right.


	4. Childish Books and Rough Sex

Author's Note: In case everyone's wondering, the books mentioned here are real. I loved Catwitch when I was a child. Wonder where it got to?

Grimmjow ran his hands up and down the heavy bone. It was smooth from endless touching and cool to the touch. Lifting it to his lips he slowly chewed on it. If he'd exerted his full strength he could have broken it easily, but that would ruin it. This bone had too many memories for that.

Not that it had been a special kill. No, it had just been another common adjuchas like all the others. Only the timing made it significant, because it had been his last kill on his quest to become King. Grimmjow gnawed on the bone, his eyes going blank as he remembered.

_The bone was lying between his paws. The panther adjuchas was in no hurry to crack it and suck out the last little bit of the kill. He was completely satisfied, his hunger sated for the moment. The bone was an idle amusement and he would make it last._

_Then he looked up from his treat, lips pulling back from sharp white teeth in a snarl. He pushed himself to his feet as three strangers appeared. His fraccion reacted, ready to attack but Grimmjow growled them back. He could sense the power in the one in the lead. It was shinigami and it was… terrifying. Grimmjow was not afraid of much but he feared this power._

"_Interesting. You appear to be quite strong." Grimmjow didn't like the smile on the man's face, didn't like his shinigami scent, didn't like anything about him. But he did appreciate that the stranger could see he was powerful. "Would you like to become stronger?"_

"…_Maybe." Become stronger? He always wanted to become stronger. But no one did anyone any favours in Hueco Mundo. "What would you get out of it?" He asked suspiciously and the shinigami smiled at him, reaching up to adjust his glasses._

"_Loyal followers on my quest to become the new Soul King." As far as Grimmjow was concerned, that last bit was arcane bullshit. He understood the quest for power, though. But a loyal follower? That rubbed him in all the wrong ways._

"_And if I say no?" He asked and the stranger just gazed at him. It suddenly struck him as a predatory gaze._

"_Then we will have to say goodbye to you all." He said politely and Grimmjow could feel the naked threat in the air. It was subtle, all in his reiatsu, but the adjuchas had no doubt that the goodbye's would be very permanent._

"…_Fine. Make me more powerful." He finally growled, picking up his bone in his mouth. The shinigami turned away without a word and the group of intimidated hollows followed their King._

…_Sometime later, Grimmjow sat and waited for the purple cube to be ready. His bone was sitting between his paws, taking nervous nips from him whenever the tension became too much. He found himself gnawing on it often, using it to calm himself. The power swirling around the purple thing terrified him, not that he would admit it. What were they planning to do to him? But he wasn't going to ask. It wouldn't make any difference. Snarling, he lowered his head and waited._

_His mask being broken was painful. It was more than just the bone shattering, it was his body reforming, finding a shape akin to a vasto lorde's. His howl started off as a beast and ended as a man, but a man in agony. Panting, he landed on his hands and knees, completely naked and trembling. A blanket was dropped over him by one of the shinigami and he lifted his head with a weak snarl, blinking his eyes rapidly. Everything hurt and he couldn't see right._

_But even as they took him away to begin breaking the others, he gripped his bone with one hand. He'd never had hands before but he managed to hold it._

_This bone was his. He was not giving it up._

"Grimmjow? Are you coming to… breakfast…?" Grimmjow frowned and lifted his head from the bone. Kurosaki had opened the connecting door and was staring at him. "What are you doing?" He sounded appalled and Grimmjow scowled.

"Chewing on a bone. You have a problem with that?" He said harshly and Kurosaki hesitated before shaking his carefully set the bone back down, wiping off a bit of stray saliva. "And sure, why not." He'd already eaten a reishi pill but maybe some real food would soothe the burn.

Breakfast was set up in a little sun room. It was just for him and Kurosaki, which didn't surprise Grimmjow a bit. Byakuya seemed like the kind to be an early riser and he still had his duties as taichou of the sixth. Grimmjow tilted his head as he looked over the food. None of it was familiar so he just picked up a bowl and took a spoonful of some kind of porridge thing. He tried it and wrinkled his nose at the taste.

"Try putting a fried egg into it, it makes the congee taste better." Ichigo suggested and Grimmjow shrugged, deciding to try it. "I was wondering. Do you need to eat this kind of food?" He asked curiously and Grimmjow shook his head.

"Not really. But it helps take the edge off those fucking pills." Kurosaki looked confused and Grimmjow realized he would have no idea what he was talking about. Focusing his power, he created a reishi pill. It wasn't quite as easy in Soul Society as it had been in Hueco Mundo but it wasn't hard. Then he offered it to Ichigo, who took the dark red pill with a dubious expression. "We eat those. Aizen came up with them to keep us fed, otherwise supplies would have been a nightmare. It was bad enough with just three shinigami." Hollows ate other hollows, so they ranged widely through the sands. Aizen had gathered them in one place so an alternative had been necessary. Grimmjow popped the pill into his mouth and grimaced as it jolted him. A bit of tea and a bite of rice porridge did help, though. Ichigo nodded.

"I see." They both ate in silence for a while and Grimmjow considered what to do with his day. He was on call to Tosen and his chosen underlings, but so far no one had given him any orders. His only real duty was to 'oversee' the Kuchiki clan, which was a bit of a laugh. So he could do whatever he pleased, which was a bit unusual.

He wanted to spar, of course. That went without saying. But there was only so much practicing you could do in a day and there were no fraccion or other Espada to mess around with here. No sands to run through, no endless moon to howl at.

"Maybe this place has a library." He muttered to himself, toying with a piece of bacon. Sure, he wasn't much of a reader, but he did have a taste for books with a decent storyline and lots of pictures. The Secret of Nimh had been a favourite. It was a shame that Di Roy had ruined his copy. "I'm gonna go explore." He pushed himself up. Kurosaki looked at him with a frown. "You can do whatever you want. I'll call you later for a spar." He could summon Kurosaki with a thought and he wasn't helpless yet. He wouldn't need the teen around him for some time. Ichigo's frown deepened before he nodded.

"See you later." He said quietly and Grimmjow could tell he didn't like being on a leash. But who would? That was a feeling he knew, intimately.

Even now, he was still on Aizen's leash.

* * *

Kuchiki Saburo was not having a good day.

Saburo was a rather inoffensive man. He spent his days working in the Kuchiki archives and his evenings with his wife and his little daughter. But now his daughter had wandered off – again – and his wife had come to him to tell him to keep an eye out for her. Kiku was really a lovely woman but she was almost hysterical, afraid that the hollow staying with them might eat her daughter.

That struck him as an absolutely ludicrous thing to be worried about. So far the arrancar had actually seemed reasonably civilized, aside from challenging Byakuya to a duel almost immediately. And that was only to be expected from such violent creatures. He'd only been there a day, true, but even if he wanted to eat someone why would he eat a child? Kameyo was a darling girl and sparkled with immature spiritual pressure, but it was still nothing compared to that of an adult. She would barely be a snack to an arrancar.

Sighing to himself, Saburo tried to concentrate on his duties. He was guarding the entrance to the sealed archives as well as tending to his work, so no matter what kind of fit his wife was throwing, he could not leave. Well, perhaps if his daughter had actually been injured. But he was certain she was fine.

"It's this way!" Saburo did feel a great relief, though, as he heard his daughter's piping tones. Smiling he set his pen aside. She'd probably just wanted to visit him –

"Oh yeah?" His smile froze as his daughter turned a corner and he saw the person behind her. It was the first time he'd seen the arrancar, but the powder blue hair and the white uniform were impossible to mistake. "Good job, squirt. Is that your dad?" He asked and Kameyo beamed before running to him.

"Daddy!" She hugged him and Saburo let out a breath he hadn't been aware of holding as he checked her for injuries. She appeared to be fine. "My teeth hurt." She announced and he blinked, his mind trying to encompass that. Her teeth? There was a chuckle and his gaze snapped back to the arrancar.

"Brat came into my room when I was napping and bit me." He explained and Saburo blinked. Where on _earth_ had his daughter gotten the idea to do something like that? He gave her a scowl and she squirmed a little, aware that she'd done something wrong.

"Mama said that hollow's're bad and eat people." His daughter said, clearly trying to defend her actions. Fortunately the arrancar didn't seem offended, just chuckling softly at her words.

"That doesn't mean you should bite them!" He exclaimed. How she'd gone from that to that was certainly a miracle of childish logic. "Kameyo, apologize to Jaegerjaquez-sama immediately." He said firmly and his daughter mumbled out a sorry. Grimmjow just waved it off, to his relief.

"I didn't even feel it. I just woke up to the kid whining about her teeth." He said with a feral grin. Saburo swallowed, thankful that his daughter had come to no harm. He could feel the danger floating around the hollow. "What's behind that there?" Saburo followed the Espada's gaze, glancing over his shoulder at the seal.

"The entrance to the sealed archives, where we keep the lore of the clans." He answered and Grimmjow grimaced as if he'd been reminded of something unpleasant.

"Yeah, I'll skip that." He said decisively, which was a huge relief. Saburo did not want the Espada in the archives. "Shrimpy there said you'd be able to find some books for me." He pointed at Kameyo, who giggled at that term for herself.

"Ah." Saburo wondered what kind of books the arrancar would be interested in. There was an easy way to find out. "What kind of books did you want?" He asked and the man shrugged.

"Something easy to read with a lot of pictures. Have you ever read the Secret of Nihm? Like that." He said. Saburo nodded. He knew that book so it actually gave him a good idea of what the arrancar wanted. In fact, he could think of a few possibilities already.

"Please follow me." He said politely. It would mean leaving his post, but the seal could look after itself for a while. Taking care of the arrancar was more important at the moment. He led the man down the hall, into the children's section. It ranged from the simplest books all the way to the ones meant for teens. "Here…" He found the intermediate section and began sorting through them. "Perhaps this one? I loved it as a child." He said before realizing that could be taken as an insult. But the Espada didn't care, taking the book and flipping through it.

"Catwitch? I like cats. And these are some nice pictures." Grimmjow paused to admire one and Saburo nodded. His favourite had always been the picture of the cat in his witch's hat, yowling while being sucked down a hole as colorful and malicious fairies taunted him. "Got anymore?"

"Certainly." He said with a smile before looking for some more. He hesitated over one of the books but added it anyway. It was meant for quite young children, but Grimmjow might enjoy a book about poop. "There you are. I'll check them out for you." They had a check out and check in system, just like a normal library. It made it much easier to locate the books when absent minded clan members completely forgot to bring them back. The actual librarian, an ancient woman, was asleep at her desk. Saburo just claimed the sign out book and filled it in, having Grimmjow initial it in the correct spots.

"Thanks, I appreciate it. Come by again sometime, brat." He reached out and ruffled Kameyo's hair, making the child giggle. Saburo could only marvel at it. He knew that the arrancar was partly here to… produce offspring, but it still seemed remarkable that any hollow could have parental instincts.

"Bye Grimmjow!" His daughter said with a grin and a wave. Saburo shook his head, carrying her back to his desk as the arrancar left, presumably to read his new books.

"Your mother is going to be quite upset with you." He said although he knew his wife would mostly be relieved that Kameyo was alive and unharmed. "Please don't bother our guest in the future, Kameyo." He ordered and the little girl pouted. Saburo shook his head and decided to leave it to her mother. Hopefully Kiku would be able to get through to her.

He loved his daughter but he'd always had trouble getting her to listen.

* * *

"Heh. This is hilarious." Grimmjow grinned as he flipped through Everyone Poops. It was especially amusing because hollows didn't poop. They fed on souls and their bodies were far too efficient to generate any waste. "Elephants have big ones!" He murmured as he looked over the illustrations. This book was actually a bit below his reading level, but it was still interesting.

"Hey Grimmjow." He glanced up as Kurosaki walked out into the gardens. The teen was looking a bit damp, as if he'd just had a bath, and almost relaxed. His bandages had been changed and were looking fresh and crisp. "What are you reading?" He asked, taking a seat beside the Espada. Instead of answering he lifted the book so Kurosaki could read the cover. "…Are you serious?" He said with a laugh and Grimmjow grinned. "That's a kids' book you know."

"Oh, so you've read it?" He asked and was highly entertained as Ichigo blushed.

"I read it to Karin and Yuzu." He defended himself, then suddenly stopped with a stricken look. Grimmjow looked up at the sudden silence to see Kurosaki wiping away what looked suspiciously like tears.

"…" The Espada of Destruction really did NOT know how to comfort anyone. The closest he'd ever come was giving his fraccion encouraging nips and a few soft rumbles when they were hurt and running from a larger, more powerful pack. He'd gotten them through that simply by refusing to let them give up. But that tactic wouldn't work here.

Or would it? Grimmjow grinned as an idea occurred to him. He set aside his book and moved over silently while Ichigo was distracted with his grief.

"Uwaaaagh!" Kurosaki flinched away violently as Grimmjow gave him a painful nip on his upper arm. He didn't break the skin but there would probably be a spectacular bruise. "What the hell?!" He yelped, reaching for his sword as the arrancar grinned.

"Physical pain to distract you. Did it work?" He asked and Kurosaki scowled, letting go of his sword to rub his arm.

"If you mean did it piss me off, yes, it did!" He said with a snarl and stood. "Didn't you want to spar?" He said, the desire to maim and murder shining in his chocolate brown eyes. Grimmjow's grin widened as he pushed himself to his feet.

"Hell yes!" Putting the books in a safe spot, he led Kurosaki to the training area. The Kuchiki manor had plenty of guards and shinigami who liked to practice so it was only natural that they'd have a sparring ground. It even had kido shields but they weren't strong enough to withstand a bankai or resurrection. "We can't go all out here." He warned the shinigami who scowled.

"I don't care as long as I can punch your face in." He said and Grimmjow grinned nastily.

"You think you can? Bring it on!" And the fight was on. Sword clashed against sword and Kurosaki had the familiar scowl on his face, but with even more intensity than usual. They started on the ground but soon took to the air, and Grimmjow put everything he had into making the shinigami submit.

The soul reaper's eyes were fading to gold and Grimmjow could sense a slightly different tension building between them. There wasn't much difference between hollows fighting and hollows fucking, and he could feel this starting to go the other way. That was fine by him, but he wasn't going to make this easy for the shinigami. His pride would allow nothing else.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" The usual attack, it didn't come as a surprise. "Bankai!" Grimmjow was willing to go with that, Kurosaki would need his bankai to keep up. But when he put his hand over his face the arrancar scowled.

"No fucking mask! The kido wards can't handle it." He warned, leaping back. Ichigo paused with a frustrated look on his face.

"How the hell am I supposed to beat the shit out of you without it?!" He demanded and Grimmjow laughed. That was a very good question.

"Maybe I'll let you win." He said teasingly, sure that the teen's hollow would understand. But Ichigo definitely didn't from the explosive look on his face.

"Let me win?! You arrogant asshole!" Then he was attacking like a madman and Grimmjow had to fight hard to keep him away. But he loved every moment, loved the loss of control, loved the pure bloodlust in the teen's face. Black was creeping across his eyes and that was perfect too. Kurosaki might not understand what this battle was about but his hollow certainly would.

In the end, Grimmjow did let Kurosaki win. He could have fought harder, could have kept it going longer. But what was the point of that? The privilege of getting to ride the shinigami, rather than being ridden? If they'd both been male there would have been one hell of a difference, but as it was, it hardly mattered. So Kurosaki had him pinned to the ground with that butcher's blade to his throat and Grimmjow grinned, enjoying the thrill of danger and the fury in Kurosaki's face. The kid knew he could have fought harder.

"Well? Are you gonna finish it?" He asked and the fury faded into confusion.

"What the hell are you talking about? You want me to kill you?" He asked and Grimmjow rolled his eyes.

"You are thick as a brick, shinigami." Ichigo scowled again but Grimmjow wasn't done. "Let your hollow come out." He made it a command, using the collar on Kurosaki's neck. The teen's eyes widened in horror for a brief moment before flashing over to black and gold. A half mask began to form on his face as he grinned wickedly.

"_King is screaming at you, arrancar_." A voice of velvety darkness purred before the sword was tossed aside. Grimmjow grunted as a knee landed on his stomach, shoving against his hollow hole in a deliberate gesture of dominance. _"He thinks I'm going to kill you. He really is an idiot sometimes."_ Then the hollow Kurosaki bent down and bit his throat, hard. The blunt shinigami teeth didn't penetrate his hierro but they did make a dent in it.

"Yeah? Well, fuck him. Make my fantasy a reality." Grimmjow purred and the hollow grinned. It was a wide, crazy grin, as unlike Kurosaki's usual expression as possible.

"_My pleasure."_ There was the feeling of a flash step and Grimmjow found himself forced up against one of the trees surrounding the practice field. He could feel the air as his hakama was yanked down, revealing his sex. Hot breath tickled his ear as Kurosaki pressed up behind him, still fully clothed. Fingers slid between his thighs and began exploring, making him groan softly. _"You're already wet. Fighting turns you on, doesn't it? Dirty kitty."_ The hollow purred in his ear and Grimmjow snorted.

"I'm a hollow. What do you fucking think? …Argh!" He grunted as the hollow laughed and hooked his fingers, finding his g-spot. "How the… fuck…?" How had he found it so easily? Grimmjow himself had trouble finding the damned thing, sometimes. "Oh god." He moaned as his insides clenched over that seeking hand. That felt so fucking _good._

"_Hope you can handle multiple orgasms, kitten."_ The hollow said mockingly and Grimmjow almost came right then. He whimpered, tearing the bark of the tree with his hands. Then a second hand snaked in front of him and stimulated his cock, gently teasing the oversensitive flesh. Grimmjow yelped as his orgasm ripped through him, his body clenching and unclenching around Kurosaki's fingers. He was left breathless and panting at the intensity of it, then shivered as the hollow breathed in his ear again. _"Ready for round two?"_

"I can take anything you can give me." Grimmjow said with a growl and the hollow chuckled. There was a brief rustling sound and Grimmjow took an anticipatory breath as his legs were spread a bit further. This would be the first time he'd really done this with his new body. Would it be as good as fingers and toys?

It was. It was every bit as good, or better, when Kurosaki's hollow shoved into him. Grimmjow howled in pleasure, digging furrows into the bark as the teen took him with a harsh, near painful rhythm. The angle of penetration was stimulating his g-spot, although not as powerfully as his fingers had. But Kurosaki's dick filled him up much better than the fingers had and the experience was simply delicious.

"_You feel like a virgin in there, so hot and tight."_ The hollow groaned and Grimmjow rocked his hips back, meeting each thrust with enthusiasm. _"Haven't played much with this body, have you?"_

"You… fucking kidding… me?" Grimmjow panted out, his body lightly sheened with sweat now. The heavy weight of Kurosaki's chest on his back, the hot length inside him, the hand on one hip and the other on his cock were all driving him wild. This was what he'd been missing for so long, in Los Noches. What he'd tried to capture with his toys and magazines. "You're my… first… shit!" He cursed as his body tightened again, his insides tingling and becoming so sensitive he could almost scream at the glory of it. Then in one hot, primal moment, the tingling flashed over into his orgasm. Grimmjow felt his body spasm, felt the pleasure roll over him and he did scream then, his voice a catlike wail of pleasure. There was a groan and after a series of quick, urgent thrusts the body behind him went still. Grimmjow felt a spreading warmth inside him and sighed. Then his lover slipped out of him with a soft squelch and Grimmjow hissed softly at the loss. Turning around, he saw the mask flaking away and vanishing, black and gold eyes going back to shocked brown.

"You… we… did that…?" Kurosaki sounded like he was going into shock. Grimmjow just laughed, bracing himself against the tree. His legs were shaking and didn't want to hold him up.

"Yeah, we did. Was it as good for… Kurosaki?" Grimmjow blinked as the teen vanished in a burst of shunpo. "…Shinigami." He shook his head and picked up his hakama, pulling the clothing back on.

He didn't understand them at all.


	5. Tender Sex

Grimmjow flicked his sword to remove the blood before sliding the blade home in its sheath.

He honestly had no idea why he was killing people, or why people were trying to kill him. Tosen's summons had arrived on a hell butterfly and he'd reported for riot control duty. Which, for him anyway, meant hold his position and don't let anyone pass. He'd assumed at first that it would be rather boring. Who would want to take on the Espada of Destruction?

The answer was _everybody._ Grimmjow grinned happily. He wasn't supposed to take on his resurrection, but he didn't need it to handle these ants. It seemed the rukongai, or at least this part of it, was full of wannabe warriors who didn't give a fuck if they lived or died. And he was more than willing to oblige them with their death wish.

Another group was pelting towards him and he saw some of them stop as they saw the bodies littered around the arrancar. But the others just charged onward, expressions set and determined. Grimmjow wondered what they were fighting for.

He didn't get a chance to ask, though, even if he'd been interested enough to inquire. They tried to mob him and a few of them had some really crappy shunpo. It didn't help one bit and he slaughtered them all, painting the walls with their blood. Flicking the blood off Pantera again, he kicked away some of the bodies, making room for himself. He sniffed the air, enjoying the mingled scent of blood, sweat and excrement.

It couldn't go on forever though. Fewer and fewer enemies came to him and he was feeling bored when a hell butterfly finally arrived.

_The disturbance has been rectified. Return to the Kuchiki manor, Quinta._ Grimmjow scowled at the hell butterfly. The use of his new title was pleasant but he really wanted to know what the hell was going on. Finally shrugging he left the scene, glancing down at the pile of bodies. He briefly considered eating a few before deciding against it. None of them were powerful enough to really sustain him and he doubted their blood would taste much better than a shinigami's.

He didn't go right back to the manor, though. Instead he headed into the Seireitei to do a bit of shopping. He had a chit from Tosen that he could use to buy things with, although they were all on a budget. His was pretty low since he didn't have any fraccion to support, but he had a second chit from Byakuya. That would bill things directly to the Kuchiki clan and he planned to use that for anything he didn't want Tosen to see.

Almost immediately, Grimmjow realized he'd made a mistake. He didn't give a damn if people stared at him because he was a hollow but it was mildly uncomfortable when they were whispering about the blood on his clothes. The white showed the stains very clearly and Grimmjow grinned as he suddenly wondered. Was that why the shinigami wore black? To hide the bloodstains?

So he made his first stop at a clothing shop. The sleepy eyed girl working the place didn't bat an eyelash at the appearance of a blood covered Espada in her store. She just looked him up and down before leisurely pulling something out of the racks.

"This would be perfect for you." She murmured and Grimmjow looked at the yukata in surprise. It looked expensive, made of fine blue silk with random patterns of white that seemed to represent clouds. The silk was the exact same shade as his hair. "Try it on."

"Sure, why not." He was willing to humor her, mainly because it was loose fitting. He went into the change room and stripped off his soiled uniform, using it to wipe off some congealed blood from his chest and face before slipping on the yukata. "Hm." He murmured as he tied the belt, a brilliant slash of scarlet, around his waist. This did look good and it had the side benefit of hiding his hollow hole. Making a quick decision he opened the door and stepped out. "I'll take it. Mind if I wear it out?"

"Not at all." She purred and he wondered how expensive it was. He used his chit from Byakuya and she took it, dripping a bit of hot wax onto a document before pressing the seal into it. He had to sign, too, which he managed with reasonably good penmanship. She also gave him a bag to put his old clothing in, which was nice.

People still stared at him in his new yukata, but at least they weren't freaking out over the blood. Grimmjow took his time window shopping, but didn't see much of anything he wanted to buy. He did play with some interesting shit, like a handmade kaleidoscope and the glasses at the bug place. He didn't know why anyone would name their shop after a bug, but he didn't know much about shinigami culture either.

The one thing he did sample was the food. He put that on Tosen's chit, since he couldn't see why the shinigami would have a problem with it. It was all fairly cheap anyway. He bought a paper cup of fried sardines in tempura batter and amused himself by watching the people going by.

It was all so different from Hueco Mundo. The common citizens of the Seireitei walked around as though nothing was going to harm them, even now. But then, Tosen was really the one in charge and he loved law and order. The Seireitei was naturally orderly, unlike the Rukongai, so that posed no difficulties.

Grimmjow vaguely wondered what Tosen was doing. The shinigami had no use for him at all so he was in the same boat as Yammy, being used as muscle whenever the need called for it. Whatever was going on, Barragan, Ulquiorra and Halibel were all up to their eyeballs in it. Starrk was too lazy and Zommari was off in Hueco Mundo, gathering up some powerful adjuchas and vasto lorde for Aizen to break when he could spare the time for it.

"Oh yeah." Grimmjow muttered. That reminded him, he needed to let Byakuya and Ichigo know that Rukia was still in Hueco Mundo. It was the least he could do.

Finishing off his sardines, Grimmjow jumped to his feet. He wanted to take a nap and this was not a safe place, not for him at least. Leaving with a bang of sonido he went back to the Kuchiki manor. He could rest there without fear. Well, except maybe fear of a little kid biting him in his sleep. Grimmjow grinned to himself as he ran.

That had really been quite amusing.

* * *

Things took an interesting turn that night.

Grimmjow wasn't sure where Kurosaki had gotten to and didn't much care. He was sharing a private meal with Byakuya and the food was excellent. The conversation wasn't too bad, either.

One thing his old fraccion had always been lacking was intelligent conversation. Nakeem and Di Roy had been near morons and the rest of them had idolized him. Getting them to give him an honest opinion had just been a pain in the ass, and the input was often so useless that he'd stopped asking. And to be fair to them, it wasn't like Hueco Mundo had a lot of topics for small talk.

Byakuya, on the other hand, had interesting things to say. It was a bit hard to get them out of him but Grimmjow had nothing better to do. So now he was hearing about how the shinigami society was structured and a bit about how Tosen was changing things.

"It sounds like you guys are strapped for taichou." He observed and Byakuya nodded, expressionless. Ukitake, Komamura and Kurotsuchi were dead. Szayel had taken over for Mayuri and apparently there wasn't much difference for the Twelfth Division. But Zaraki had gotten killed later – Grimmjow knew he could be dumb and stubborn, but the taichou had been suicidal to challenge Aizen like that – and five of the Divisions had been running without taichou before that. "I wish I could take the Eleventh. They sound like my kind of people." He said, a touch wistfully. That would never happen though. Tosen despised him and even if he didn't, Grimmjow was slated to be one of Aizen's broodmares. That pissed him off a bit, but he wasn't stupid like Kenpachi.

"The Eleventh is being dissolved. Since there are almost no officers left, the few remaining members are being assigned to new Divisions." Byakuya almost sounded regretful. Grimmjow wondered why. From what little he knew the guy pretty much despised the Eleventh and everything they stood for. "Three of the other Divisions are being disbanded as well."

"A lot of changes all at once." Grimmjow observed and Byakuya nodded. "You having a few desertions?" That might explain some of the better fighters he'd run into in the Rukongai. Byakuya shook his head.

"Not in my Division. However, in the divisions that have lost their taichou there have been many disappearances. It's difficult to tell exactly why they vanished, however." Byakuya sipped his tea, his expression serene. But his eyes were cold. Grimmjow was a bit surprised he could pick it up, but Aizen's moods could be pretty subtle and he'd painfully learned how to anticipate them. "Many of your fellow arrancar have not treated us as gently as you have."

"They've been eating people, have they?" Grimmjow asked, not terribly surprised. It was what hollows did. Byakuya nodded. "I'd like to say I'm just a nice guy, but the truth is shinigami taste terrible to me. I don't know why, it happened after I made arrancar." He'd eaten a few shinigami before that so he knew his tastes had changed dramatically. Byakuya looked at him thoughtfully for a moment.

"You have a very pronounced shinigami reiatsu, more than some arrancar. Perhaps that is why. Shinigami do not naturally eat each other." He said and Grimmjow blinked. He hadn't been aware that his reiatsu was any different from other arrancar. But then, sensing your own reiatsu was a bit like trying to look at the tip of your nose. "What do you think of the food?" Byakuya asked, clearly trying to lighten the topic and Grimmjow glanced down at his bowl. They were having marinated, seared duck with soba noodles in a clear broth. It was delicious but unfamiliar to the arrancar.

"It's very good. Sometimes I miss the food I remember from my human life, though." He said honestly and the shinigami looked at him curiously. Grimmjow thought for a moment and tried to answer the unspoken question. "There was this fermented fish sauce. It went into everything. I mostly remember that and the wine. It tasted absolutely awful." Byakuya blinked at that. "It was this nasty vinegar stuff mixed with water and herbs. We drank it because it was safer than the water, cheap and good for you. It was also a macho thing. Only pussies drank good wine." Grimmjow vaguely remembered some of the men he'd served with making fun of those who ordered it. "I was a soldier." He added and then shrugged. "It was a very long time ago." He wasn't sure exactly how long, though. The years had melted together in his mind.

"You remember your past?" Byakuya asked and Grimmjow nodded.

"Yeah, although it's a bit vague in places. It was nothing really interesting." He said dismissively. But the shinigami just looked at him and Grimmjow could tell he wasn't buying it. "I came from a pretty well off family, but I was the fifth son. There was nothin' there for me and I wasn't any kind of scholar, so I joined the army." He said, vaguely remembering those days. The main thing he remembered was the heat. It had been a hot, humid land, especially in the summer. "I was good at it. I retired and got a farm, found a wife and raised some brats. Died in my sleep of old age." It had been a bloody and dangerous life but it had ended quite peacefully.

"Then why did you stay in the living world?" Byakuya asked and Grimmjow paused a moment, puzzled. Then he chuckled as he remembered.

"Shit, it was stupid… when I died, I really wanted to see the city." He said and the shinigami looked at him thoughtfully. "And after I was dead I realized no one could see me. I could walk into the senate, watch all those high-falluting bastards wheezing about, even explore the palace. So what the fuck, why not? I started walking. Walked all the way and I finally got to see the city." He'd never once been there, before his death. His unit had never been stationed there. "I was dead but I had the time of my fucking life. Imagine this old geezer – well, a pretty strong old geezer – wandering through that place for weeks, peeking into the secret orgies of the rich and famous." Grimmjow grinned as he remembered. Those had been some fun weeks. He could remember that part pretty clearly. "Then a hollow ate him." It had been the first hollow the plus soul had run into. He'd had no idea the afterlife had any perils and he had tried to fight rather than run. "But that hollow was no match for me. And that was the first step to becoming what I am today." Grimmjow shrugged. Unlike many hollows, who had painful histories, his was rather tame. He'd been a dangerous, aggressive man though and that had surfaced as a hollow. Byakuya nodded.

"It's too bad no shinigami found you and gave you konso." He said and Grimmjow laughed, sipping his tea.

"They tried! But the old man wasn't having any of that shit. No freaks in night dresses with barbarian swords were getting near him." He said merrily as Byakuya sipped his tea. It was hard to read his emotions sometimes but Grimmjow could tell he wasn't amused by that description of the shinigami. "It was probably just as well. I would have made a shitty peasant in the Rukongai." And he was sure he wouldn't have had the spiritual pressure for anything else. That old geezer had not been spiritually aware.

They were finished the main course and a silent unobtrusive servant took the plates away before bringing them a small sweet to end the meal. Grimmjow couldn't even begin to guess what it was. It was dark green, sweet and slightly chewy. He savored it slowly. It might not be the kind of dessert he would have chosen but it was still nice and he'd always had a sweet tooth.

"You can have mine as well." Byakuya offered and Grimmjow blinked at him, realizing that his dessert was almost untouched. "I have no fondness for such things."

"You sure?" He asked uncertainly. Sweets seemed like the best part of the kill to him. Why would anyone give them up? But the shinigami nodded so he shrugged and accepted the treat. "Thanks. These are pretty good." Although he didn't really like the chewy texture. It was like no dessert he'd had as a living man, although it did remind him of snails in aspic. Not the kind of comparison you wanted to make.

"I'm glad you enjoy them." Byakuya said politely but there was something odd in his eyes, something Grimmjow couldn't place. He gave the noble a questioning look, his mouth full, and Byakuya looked down into his teacup.

"I will be honest. I do not have much experience." He said quietly. Grimmjow was very surprised by the admission. Byakuya was a noble and in his experience, nobles didn't deny themselves anything. "The only person I have ever been with was my late wife, and not that often. She was very ill." He explained and Grimmjow couldn't help but be nervous.

"Yeah, well, I have no idea how this goes for shinigami." If Byakuya had been a hollow Grimmjow would have suggested a spar first. But he was pretty sure fighting didn't do much for the shinigami and telling him to just push him to the wall and fuck him would probably disgust the noble. "Um…" Grimmjow thought hard, delving deep into his past as a human. They had to be closer to shinigami.

It was sort of helpful. The old geezer had been an active bastard, right up until his wife had died. He hadn't been interested in men at all, though. But Grimmjow had his memories of romancing women as well as vaguer recollections from his dominant female souls. He had plenty of those, or he wouldn't have turned out this way in the first place.

So acting more on instinct than anything, Grimmjow found himself moving. He considered and discarded several suggestions – he was way too tall and masculine for resting his head on Byakuya's shoulder and gazing into his eyes longingly – and went with something more on the gender neutral side. He knelt down beside Byakuya, who was looking at him with well-disguised apprehension in those pretty grey eyes.

Kissing the shinigami was strange. At first, he was still and unresponsive. But gradually those soft lips responded and Grimmjow relaxed a little as a hand moved to slide through his hair, teasing the light blue strands. He returned the favor, puzzling a bit over the silver hair clips. He decided to just leave them and concentrated on what was available, running his fingers gently through that silky smooth black hair.

"Come." Byakuya said softly and Grimmjow shivered in pleasure at the note of command in his voice. Normally it would have pissed him off but when he was about to get laid, well… things were different.

They'd been eating in Byakuya's suite, so the bedroom was only a room way. Grimmjow shed his clothes easily and paused for a moment as he saw the shinigami looking at him curiously. He looked away, feeling a blush rising on his cheeks. What would the shinigami think of his hybrid body?

"You are not unattractive." He said and Grimmjow couldn't help but grin.

"Thanks!" He said but felt his blush receding. If Byakuya had told him he was great looking, he'd have been even more flustered and wondering if it was a lie. Not unattractive sounded honest and actually made him feel better about himself. A light flush touched pale cheeks and the Espada admired him for a moment. "You're not too bad yourself." He said in a lightly teasing tone. Under his taichou's robes, Byakuya's body was as hard and toned as he had expected.

_Those robes really don't do a thing for him._ He thought vaguely as he took a seat on the bed, stretching out in a lazy, catlike gesture. _All the shinigami wear very similar uniforms, whether they look good or not. I wonder if that's why Aizen let us pick our own styles?_ Arrancar uniforms were black and white, but that was the only thing they had in common with each other. It let them pick out things that flattered their body types. Although… That meant they could commit some rather hideous fashion faux pas. Grimmjow tore his mind away from that as Byakuya sat down on the bed beside him, looking at him with uncertain grey eyes. _I need to take the lead here, but not forcefully. _Following that thought he rested a hand on Byakuya's chest and gave the shinigami another tender kiss.

Hands touched his shoulders, curiously exploring warm skin and taunt muscles. Grimmjow returned the favor, sliding a hand over Kuchiki's stomach and feeling the rippling muscles beneath the soft skin. That was nice, excellent in fact, and Grimmjow dared to make the kiss a bit rougher, more demanding. He felt his partner stiffen for a moment before taking the kiss almost passively. That was not what he'd been hoping for, not at all.

"Tch." Grimmjow muttered as he pulled away, blue eyes dark with lust and something close to annoyance. "You're making this hard on me, shinigami." He sighed at the small frown on Byakuya's face and rested his forehead against his chest. "I don't know what turns you on." He admitted and the frown turned into a small smile.

"You are arousing me, Grimmjow-san." He said and Grimmjow glanced down, surprised to see that it was true. "I like how… different you are. Please, continue." He said softly and the arrancar hesitated a moment before nodding.

It felt like he'd been given permission to indulge himself, and he did. Grimmjow set his hands to wandering, exploring the soft skin and strong muscles of the Kuchiki noble. Lips and tongue soon joined hands, and he enjoyed Byakuya's soft gasp as he caught a nipple in his mouth, teasing the flesh with his warm, wet tongue. Then he decided to indulge his evil side and use a little trick he'd learned as an adjuchas. Focusing his reiatsu carefully, he suddenly made his tongue ice cold. There was a startled sound and Byakuya arched as his skin was abruptly tormented by a bitter chill. Grimmjow pulled away with a grin, dropping the cold charge and letting his mouth warm.

"What… was that…?" Byakuya sounded undone by pleasure and Grimmjow purred to himself as he felt the noble's length poking his leg. That was nice.

"Just a little trick. If I pull all the reiatsu out of a body part, it becomes cold." He said and Byakuya frowned. "Also numb, after a few moments." He'd made the mistake of keeping it up too long once and trying to talk had been difficult. He'd also bitten his tongue. Tossing those thoughts aside Grimmjow made his way down the noble's body, pausing to nuzzle sculpted abs. Byakuya smelled good, a scent that reminded him vaguely of flowers.

The musk of his arousal, though, was completely masculine and sang to ancient memories and current desires. Taking the shinigami into his mouth came as easy as breathing and Grimmjow savored the heady moan the noble made.

He was getting better at this. He knew it, could feel the female memories rising up and guiding him. He hollowed his cheeks, creating a better suction. He compared the taste to Kurosaki's and finally decided they were just different. The teen's hollow musk had made him more sour, more wild and animal-like. Byakuya was sweeter on his tongue.

Hands slid through his hair as the noble urged him on and Grimmjow stroked his thighs before moving his hands to his balls. He played with the heavy flesh, teasing him and making him gasp. There was a whispered warning and he stopped, pulling away before his lover could cum. Byakuya watched him with wide, lust glazed eyes as he slid up his body before suddenly impaling himself on the shinigami's cock.

Grimmjow grunted a little as he adjusted to suddenly being filled, his walls expanding to accommodate the thick length. He was plenty wet so it didn't hurt and he soon began to move, setting a slow and steady pace. Byakuya's hands were on his hips, urging him on and Grimmjow looked down. Bright blue eyes met grey and he saw a surprising amount of warmth there. Not just lust, but something else.

The arrancar had no time to puzzle over that as Byakuya began taking more control. The grip on his hips tightened as the noble thrust up into him, jolting his body with pleasure. Grimmjow let out a small, feral growl as he felt sweat beading along his hairline and beginning to trickle down his skin. The way Byakuya was filling him was just delicious and he was enjoying every moment of it.

From the look on his face, his partner was too. Grimmjow hadn't really expected that and he didn't think Byakuya had expected it either. Long black hair was spread over the bed, his hair clips were missing – when had that happened? – and sweat was beading along that pale, beautiful skin. Muscles tightened and flexed as Grimmjow rode him and the arrancar marveled at what he was doing. He'd gone from having no sex to suddenly having this. It almost made him want to thank Aizen.

But he wasn't going to waste any time thinking about kami. He'd found heaven and it was right here. Grimmjow gasped as his insides began to tingle in a very familiar way, wrapping tightly around that hot, throbbing cock. He met Byakuya's eyes just as he came, his walls rippling hard with his moment of release. The shinigami jolted with a hoarse sound and Grimmjow felt the gush of fluid filling him.

They stayed linked together for a moment, just looking at each other. Blue eyes met grey again and they were softer, almost tender. Then Grimmjow slowly pulled away, wincing at the gush of liquid down his thigh. Sex was messy and good sex was messier, he was finding.

"Did you want to stay?" Byakuya asked and Grimmjow considered it for a moment, before reaching for his connection with Ichigo.

To his surprise he was immediately hit by emotions. It was the first time he'd felt anything like it through the collars before, so it had to be very strong. It also smelled like the teen's hollow and from what Grimmjow was getting he was _pissed._ The Espada grinned wickedly, making Byakuya look at him questioningly.

"Nah, I better go back before Kurosaki blows up your home." He said, highly entertained by the jealous rage he was getting through the link. Byakuya frowned and he explained. "Hollows are usually monogamous because we are jealous as hell. It looks like Kurosaki's hollow thinks I belong to him or some shit. I'll need to go take care of that." Although the emotion wasn't all from the hollow, from what Grimmjow could tell. He thought they might be feeding on each other. But then, he'd been Kurosaki's first in so many ways.

"I see." Byakuya pushed himself up, watching as he quickly got dressed. Grimmjow glanced at him and saw a small frown on his face. So he wasn't pleased that the Espada was leaving? Did he really want him to stay? It made Grimmjow feel a bit tingly, that two powerful males actually seemed to want him. "Goodnight." He said softly as the Espada finished with his clothes.

"'Night. Sweet dreams." Grimmjow said with a smile before slipping out of the room. He felt great, loose and happy.

Now he just had to take care of an infuriated Kurosaki. That was going to be fun.


	6. A Reason for Weakness

Ichigo paced the room, unable to suppress his fury and not really trying.

He knew what Grimmjow was doing. His hollow could scent it and it was pretty damned obvious anyway. Byakuya had wanted private time with Grimmjow and he'd been quite firmly excluded from their dinner date. His fists clenched as he thought about it.

He wasn't in love with Grimmjow, but… the man… woman… arrancar had taken his virginity. He swallowed as he remembered what it had felt like to be buried to the hilt in that warm, accepting body. His hollow had let him share the experience and Ichigo had been grateful but deeply disturbed. He was only sixteen. He was too young for all this. And now Grimmjow was sleeping with Byakuya, which roused a great anger in him. The Espada had taken his virginity like it was nothing!

Ichigo knew his hollow was furious too, although he didn't know what was going through his darker half's mind. In truth, their reasoning was quite different. Ichigo was reacting mostly from emotions and the feeling of betrayal, while his hollow was having a more dangerous reaction. In his mind, Grimmjow was his mate and also his inferior in terms of power. That meant that he should destroy the interloper that was trying to take his mate and discipline Grimmjow firmly for his error in judgment. But the collar made that impossible and the hollow seethed in frustration, trying to figure out how to establish his dominance.

When Grimmjow entered the room Ichigo's head snapped up. The lazy blue eyes and the shit eating grin on the Espada's face infuriated him even more and he heard his hollow hiss in rage.

"You bastard!" He snarled, stepping forward with his fists clenched. Grimmjow just stuck his hands in his pockets, still grinning. "How could you, you asshole?!"

"I'm not sure what you're going on about, Kurosaki. You knew I was assigned the both of you." The Espada's tone was amused and it only ticked Ichigo off more. He wasn't sure how angry he could get, but Grimmjow seemed to be willing to find out.

"You were my first!" He spat out and then darkness rose with his temper. He lashed out, slamming Grimmjow against a wall, his fist at the arrancar's throat. The Espada grunted but just looked at him, a bit of desire sparking in those blue eyes. "You belong to me." His voice was echoing but Ichigo didn't care. His hollow was right.

"The fuck I do. You belong to me, shinigami." And just like that Grimmjow was trying to turn the tables on them, slam them against a wall. Ichigo snarled and lashed out, struggling with the Espada. They staggered through the room, nearly smashing a coffee table but neither one of them cared. Not so accidentally, they stumbled into his bedroom and ended up on the bed.

If he'd thought about it, Ichigo would have been alarmed by what was happening. The lines between himself and his hollow were blurring, becoming fuzzier and fuzzier as he gave into his instincts. This wasn't his hollow trying to swallow him, though. It was a unity of thought that was vaguely like wearing his mask, but more intense. But Ichigo was in no condition to think about it. His erring mate was beneath him, squirming and growling in a way that was setting his instincts on fire.

"You are ours." He said, not caring a bit about the pronoun. Then he harshly bit Grimmjow's neck, enjoying the groan he pulled from the Espada. "Ours!" The chuckle that followed made him narrow his eyes and growl. Honey gold eyes met bright blue, but the arrancar just seemed amused by the unspoken threat.

"You're just like a hollow, Ichi… unh." Grimmjow grunted as he was bitten again and retaliated by sudden grasping his assailant's manhood. Ichigo gasped as a jolt of pleasure went through his body, then rocked against that hand with a snarl. "Get this shit off." Grimmjow muttered as he yanked at the black shinigami uniform. Ichigo complied easily, yanking it off in a few smooth moves. Grimmjow's outfit was even easier since he didn't wear anything beneath it.

"Why don't you wear anything under there?" Ichigo asked, really examining Grimmjow's naked body for the first time. His instincts took a back seat to fascination as he saw that the Espada looked extremely male, except between his legs. But then, he knew that already. He'd had that body ramming into him plenty of times and there hadn't been anything soft about it. Grimmjow chuckled softly.

"'Cause it would hurt, soul reaper. I can't stand anything rubbing against my – ah shit!" Grimmjow's body arched as Ichigo ran a slow, teasing finger down his… dick? It looked like one, certainly. "Th-that oh crap." Grimmjow sounded like he was losing it and Ichigo smiled as a thought crossed his mind.

_That's for submissives._ His hollow protested but Ichigo ignored him. They were separating out again as his temper eased, and he wanted to do this. Kneeling between Grimmjow's legs he slowly ran his tongue over that organ, hearing his mate whimper. Then he took it in his mouth, sucking on the surprisingly soft flesh. Grimmjow arched with a ragged gasp and Ichigo reached up to toy with his entrance, slipping a finger past damp navy curls.

"I thought… I was your first… ngh!" Grimmjow's insides rippled around his questing finger as Ichigo obeyed his hollow instincts. Also, his hollow was hissing instructions in his ear. Ichigo vaguely wondered how it seemed to know about this, but he could worry about that later.

"Quiet." He commanded, his voice dark and echoing, before he pulled his hand away and moved up the body of his mate. Grimmjow was breathing hard and his powder blue hair was damp with sweat. His legs were spread wide and Ichigo gave him a sharp, forceful nip before sinking into that welcoming warmth. "Mine!" He growled and Grimmjow just moaned, tossing his head as his eyelids fluttered.

Ichigo and his hollow were united again in pleasure as they reclaimed their mate. He gripped hard, well-muscled thighs, taking Grimmjow quickly and forcefully. Fingers tore at his back, nails sinking in, but the mild pain only aroused them further. Ichigo bit down as hard as he could and finally managed to penetrate the Espada's hierro, drawing a lusty cry from his partner. The sweet taste of blood on his tongue made his hollow purr and they completely lost control, giving themselves over to the mating instinct. Grimmjow's insides were tight and wet, sliding as smoothly around him as a velvety dream.

Tiny drops of sweat beaded on pale flesh and Ichigo lapped them away, golden eyes meeting blue. Grimmjow's face was flushed, his breath coming in sharp pants as Ichigo drove him closer and closer to orgasm. But he didn't want it to end too soon and deliberately slowed his pace, drawing a whimper of need from his mate. Ichigo felt a deep satisfaction at that sound and knew it partly came from his hollow, but found he didn't care. This was right, this was as it should be.

He wasn't sure how long he kept his lover suspended in pleasure. He only knew it was a while, and Grimmjow was making sounds of pleasure that made his toes curl. Finally deciding it was enough, Ichigo speeded his rhythm until he was taking Grimmjow harshly again. The Espada reacted with a cry, his insides tightening almost unbearably. Ichigo nearly came in that moment but he managed to hold back. He could tell Grimmjow wasn't quite there yet. Just a little more…

Grimmjow convulsed under him, his eyes rolling back as his insides spasmed repeatedly, clenching and unclenching around his member. Ichigo gasped at the feeling and gave himself over to the pleasure, releasing in a rush of ecstasy. For a moment he felt numb, shocked speechless, but then his mind started to reboot. He gazed into the face of his exhausted, utterly sated mate and smiled before giving him a kiss. Grimmjow accepted it eagerly and Ichigo savored the feeling, enjoying the passion behind it.

_Your first kiss King._ His hollow supplied helpfully and Ichigo almost choked. The worst part of it was, he was right. He'd had sex twice but this was his first kiss. Grimmjow gave him a quizzical look as they parted and Ichigo smiled, brushing back a bit of errant blue hair.

"It's nothing. Do you want to sleep here?" He hoped the Espada would. Grimmjow tilted his head, looking curious.

"Byakuya asked me that too. Does sleeping together mean something for shinigami?" He asked and Ichigo blinked, a bit speechless. He wasn't sure how to explain. But his hollow came up and Ichigo let him have control. It was just easier, he could put it in ways a hollow would understand.

"_It's a show of trust, that the one you're with won't hurt you when you're asleep and won't leave before you wake up."_ Ichigo felt his body shrug. _"Pretty much what it means for hollows, really."_ Grimmjow nodded as Ichigo took back control, pulling away from him and settling down beside him.

"Then I'll stay." He murmured, smiling warmly. But then the smile morphed into a wicked grin. "But tomorrow I'm staying with Byakuya. He's part of this pack too, hollow." He said tauntingly and Ichigo felt his hollow bristle. But they were both too tired to fight about it.

"We'll see." He mumbled before cuddling up against the arrancar. Grimmjow had a very interesting scent, musky and wild. It reminded him a bit of a big cat, but more… comforting.

Soothed by that feral, wild yet welcoming scent he drifted easily into sleep.

* * *

"Are you well, Jaegerjaques-sama?" A soft voice spoke from his elbow, knocking the arrancar out of his fugue. Glancing down he saw the speaker was a small woman with dark brown hair, wearing the insignia of the Sixth Division. She was looking at him in a combination of concern and wariness.

"Yeah, just tired." He lied. The truth was, he'd slept like the dead last night. The hell butterfly containing Tosen's summons had had to practically shock him before he took the message. He'd even called the servants to help dress and bathe him, something he usually avoided like the plague. "What am I doing here again?" He asked himself but it was the shinigami who answered.

"We are sealing a naturally occurring garganta. Are you sure you are well, sir?" The concern was more pronounced now and Grimmjow struggled to gather his brain. It felt like it was full of cotton.

"I'm fine. Let's get this shit done." He growled gruffly before gripping his sword. Pantera felt good in his hand and he drew the blade. "My job is to kill the hollows so the shinigami can close the breach." He reminded himself under his breath. "Shit." Why was he so completely out of it?

Fortunately he didn't have to think much when they got to the garganta. Gillians were maundering through like it was the most natural thing in the world. Normally he would have batted them down like flies, but today Grimmjow had to work for every kill. The shinigami helped him, which delayed their work and he vaguely realized that Tosen was going to be pissed. But he just couldn't fight any harder, not unless he used his resurrection. And pulling that out against Gillians would just be pathetic. He had his pride.

Grimmjow wiped his blade off and sheathed it wearily before wiping his forehead. Then a numero appeared beside him and he started in surprise. That brief startle made him frown and the numero swallowed, clearly terrified as he delivered his message.

"Tosen-sama wants to see you, Grimmjow-sama!" The numero bowed as well and Grimmjow sighed to himself. Time to get his dressing down.

"Yar, yar. Take me to him would you?" He was vaguely aware of Tosen's location but just didn't feel up to hunting him down with his own senses. Why was he so damned tired? This wasn't right at all.

Tosen was calm and composed on the surface, but Grimmjow knew him well enough by now to see he was pissed. The numero almost ran as he faced his 'commander'.

"You took far too long destroying the gillian in your sector. Can you explain this?" Tosen asked and Grimmjow blinked, trying to think of something. His mind came up completely blank.

"I don't have a fucking clue." He said honestly and flinched as Tosen's annoyed reiatsu suddenly lashed him. It shouldn't have had much effect at all, except letting him know the shinigami was pissed. But he found himself bending over, struggling against the weight of it. The reiatsu lifted immediately but Grimmjow fell to his knees, black specks chasing across his vision. He felt so _weak…_

Tosen was kneeling beside him and saying something but it took him a few moments to clear his head enough to comprehend. The shinigami wanted him to release his sword? Grimmjow was bewildered by the order, but it would only make him stronger and that was good right now. Reaching to his obi he pulled out his weapon with a shaking hand.

"Grind, Pantera." He said, expecting the usual burst of energy. To his further surprise, the weapon just dissolved in a few blue sparkles. Grimmjow suddenly felt immeasurably better, but it wasn't the rush of power he usually associated with his release form. It was just comfortable and he frowned before looking down. "Holy shit!" To say he was taken aback would be an understatement.

His armor wasn't there. Instead he was still wearing his jacket and hakama, over a body that was pretty much identical to his usual released form. But instead of white bone, he had light fur on his legs and navel, starting just below his hollow hole. Grimmjow glanced at his clawed hands and saw the black color gradually faded away, vanishing completely at his elbows. He reached up to touch his forehead and was relieved to find that the crown of bone was there. His hair was as thick and wild as ever, but what was going on?

"Interesting. I'd wondered what would happen when an arrancar became pregnant." Tosen's tone was unreadable and Grimmjow gaped at him as the words sank in. "Report to Unohana immediately, Quinta. I will send a messenger to Szayel." He would want to run plenty of tests on the first ever pregnant arrancar. Grimmjow swallowed hard, glancing down at himself. He couldn't really pick up any hint of new life yet, but it would have to be very early. Tosen was just guessing but Grimmjow was certain it was a damned good guess.

"Uh, right. I'll… call Kurosaki to escort me." He said after gathering his wits and Tosen nodded. His vulnerable time had just started. If the shinigami was right, he'd been lucky to defeat the gillians at all!

It didn't take very long for Kurosaki to get there, scowling as usual. He was about to say something but his eyes went wide as he saw the new look Grimmjow was sporting.

"What happened to you?" He asked and Grimmjow couldn't help but laugh. That was just hilarious.

"Your dick. Tosen thinks I'm knocked up." He said cheerfully and Kurosaki looked like he'd been hit on the back of the head with a board. "Or maybe Byakuya's dick. Why don't we go see if the science guys can figure out which?" That was a bit mean, since he knew Kurosaki's hollow would be keenly interested in that bit. Sure enough, Kurosaki's eyes narrowed dangerously before he managed to control himself.

"Right." He said briskly. Now that he was in his released form Grimmjow felt fine, and they quickly made it to the Fourth. Szayel very nearly beat them there. As it was, he arrived just as they were ushered in to see Unohana. Kurosaki moved to block Szayel instantly, his brown eyes lighting to honey gold. Grimmjow could practically smell the aggression in him, no surprise from a hollow looking at the prospect of his first litter.

"Calm down. Tosen says he gets to look at me with the woman." He told Kurosaki, exerting a bit of gentle influence through the collar. There was a bit of resistance but the hollow inside the teen finally backed away and his eyes went back to their usual brown.

"He better not try anything. I know his type." Ichigo growled and Szayel looked offended. Grimmjow could scent a touch of fear on him, though, and he heartily approved.

"Not to worry Kurosaki-kun. He will not do anything untoward in my Division." Unohana said with a sweet smile that seemed to spell doom even to the Espada of Destruction. He blinked at the expression and the scent of Szayel's fear increased for a moment. Then it flattened out, probably because the Octava wasn't actually planning any trouble.

"Not to worry. Aizen-kami himself told me to handle any possible pregnancies delicately." Szayel assured them and Grimmjow nodded. He wasn't too surprised, since the whole idea had come from Aizen in the first place.

Many arcane tests followed, both with kido and Szayel's instruments. Kurosaki took a spot behind him, hands on Grimmjow's shoulders. To his delight, they were able to give him one important detail immediately.

"You will be having twins." Szayel said cheerfully and Grimmjow almost purred at the prospect. He'd been afraid his humanoid body would only be capable of singletons, so twins were a nice surprise.

"I cannot tell precisely who the fathers are at this time." Unohana informed them and Grimmjow winced a little as Kurosaki's hands tightened on his shoulders. "There is a great deal of hollow reiatsu mixed with shinigami, but until the children are better formed and have a steady reiatsu rotation it will be hard to say who they belong to."

"We'll just have to be patient." Kurosaki said with a soft sigh. Grimmjow reached up to rest a hand over one of his.

"Hey, cheer up. If these ones ain't yours we'll just have to try again until you get some." The thought made him feel a bit tingly in a lower region. Kurosaki's hollow probably scented his arousal because the teen lowered his head and gave him a teasing nip on the throat. Grimmjow grinned as Szayel adjusted his glasses with a pained look.

"Grimmjow-san, could you please come to the Twelfth for a more detailed exam tomorrow? We'll need some time to set up all the equipment." Szayel said and they both gave him distrustful looks. But the scientist had an ace up his sleeve. "I will of course have my new assistant, Ishida Uryuu, present to aide my research." Kurosaki stiffened at that and Grimmjow sighed to himself.

"Yeah, we'll be there." He knew Kurosaki wanted to see his friends. He'd even been thinking about how to arrange it, but it was difficult. Looking like he cared was a weakness among the Espada, so he'd mostly wanted to arrange chance meetings. This was pretty much the perfect way to see Ishida and maybe that Renji guy too. Szayel had taken him for some reason. "Will that redhead with the tats be around too?" He asked and felt Ichigo tense, his fingers digging into his shoulders a bit. Szayel just looked scornful for a moment.

"That idiot? I think not. He's useful only as a test subject." He said and Grimmjow could sense temper not just from Kurosaki, but Unohana as well. Szayel was making a lot of friends today. "I'll see you tomorrow then." He swept out and Grimmjow sighed to himself. A test subject, that wasn't good.

"Sorry." He turned his head to look at Kurosaki. The teen took a deep breath before managing to give him a tight smile.

"It's okay. I expected it really." He said quietly and Grimmjow could see how much being helpless hurt him. "I'm just glad Ishida is alright."

"Yeah. Well, we'll see him tomorrow." That made Grimmjow think about the redhead, though. He was aware of his own instinctive reactions and knew that pleasing his mate was part of his instincts, but that didn't make the drive any less potent. Was there anything he could do to get the redhead away from Szayel?

He would have to think about it.

* * *

The next day was filled with annoyances.

The first annoyance was Kurosaki. He wanted to come with him to Szayel's lair and Grimmjow couldn't really deny him, but he knew the whole thing was going to test his limits. He got Byakuya to come too, hoping the calmer shinigami would be able to keep Ichigo in check. Then he remembered. Wasn't that Renji guy Byakuya's old fukutaichou…?

"Shit." He only hoped he could keep everyone alive and breathing. If Szayel got fucked by the two shinigami under his thumb, it would be Grimmjow's non-existent balls on the line. Resolving to keep a firm grip on the collars he used sonido to the Twelfth. To his irritation, he was slower than both his escorts. The babies were soaking up his energy like little sponges.

The Twelfth was a bit of a surprise to him. Grimmjow had been expecting something like Szayel's wing back in Hueco Mundo, but this place was surprisingly open and airy. There were also lots of potted plants and Grimmjow paused to sniff a flower. The shinigami escorting them wasn't too happy with the pause, though, so he kept moving. Szayel was probably waiting.

And he was, with a metric assload of equipment and the Quincy boy. Grimmjow hadn't really seen much of him, but he still recognized him. Aside from the change in clothing – he was wearing a lab coat like most of the shinigami here – he looked unharmed. He was wearing a collar, but not the same type that Aizen had put on Byakuya and Ichigo. It was probably some kind of invention of Szayel's.

"Ishida!" Ichigo immediately tried to hug his friend and got fended off with an irritated scowl. "You're okay?"

"I'm fine." The Quincy's tone was rather short and Grimmjow suddenly had a bad feeling. He wasn't blaming Kurosaki for this, was he? From the stricken look on Ichigo's face that had just occurred to him. "You would be the pregnant Espada?" The Quincy looked him over dubiously. "You are more masculine than I would have expected." Grimmjow was tempted… oh fuck it. He stuck his tongue out at the boy who blinked and adjusted his glasses.

"Yes, this is Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. Now, let's get started." Szayel had his mind on business and wasn't going to let the friendly talk stretch out too long. Grimmjow just passively accepted the tests. He had no idea what most of them were for.

He was interested in how Szayel was getting on with his lab assistant, though. From what he could see they seemed to work well together although he sometimes caught a dark look in the Quincy's eyes that would have put him on guard, if he'd been in Szayel's shoes. But then, that Renji guy was his friend. What exactly was happening to him?

"Hey, Szayel." Grimmjow said with studied casualness. He wasn't a great actor but he wasn't bad either. "I was wondering about that redhead of yours. He's taichou level, isn't he?" He could feel Byakuya's stillness and Ichigo's interest through the collars. They were both wondering what he was up to. Szayel just nodded, studying his equipment. "Would you mind giving him to me?"

"Hm?" Szayel looked up from his work, slightly surprised. "What would you want with that loudmouthed idiot?" Clearly they were not getting along. Grimmjow shrugged.

"Just another protector. Yammy is creeping me the fuck out." He said honestly. The last time he'd been in a meeting with Tosen, Yammy had been there, and that grin of his was beyond creepy. Szayel made a 'hmm' sound but didn't comment. "And those tats of his are cute." He could practically feel Ichigo bristle through the collar and grinned to himself. That hollow of his was territorial with a capital T. Szayel gave him a look of disgust but considered it for a moment. "…You haven't already broken him, have you?" Grimmjow asked apprehensively. It was pretty soon for that but with Szayel you could never be sure. The scientist waved the question away.

"Oh no, he's stronger than that." He assured them and Grimmjow felt relief from both of his mates. "I suppose I don't really need him that much anymore… I could find a different shinigami for the last two experiments, someone more expendable." He mused and Grimmjow shuddered a bit to himself. He didn't want to know what those experiments would be. "Hm… I'll give him to you on a few conditions."

"What are they?" He asked warily. Knowing Szayel it could be a piece of his liver. The scientist smiled innocently, which was a miserable failure. Innocence just looked ridiculous on him.

"Well, I would dearly love some arrancar eggs to examine and experiment on. Would you believe even the fraccion have refused to give me any?" Szayel pouted and Grimmjow grimaced. He could see why. "Of course, the harvesting is a bit uncomfortable. But nothing you won't survive! And I would also like to examine a vizard." He eyed Kurosaki like a starving man eyeing a steak. The teen swallowed hard but nodded after a moment.

"No fucking him up or I'll sic Aizen onto you." Grimmjow growled and Szayel looked hurt. Then he glanced at the Quincy, noticing a deep relief in his eyes. What had the Octava been doing to that poor bastard? "When can we collect him?" He figured the redhead might need some time to recover, and he was right.

"Give me, hmm, two days. He should be fully healed by then." Szayel said cheerfully. "The egg harvesting will have to be done when your pregnancy is completed, of course, but if you could bring the vizard we can do that right away." Grimmjow glanced at Kurosaki and the teen nodded again, more firmly this time.

"Alright." Grimmjow smiled as he felt the warmth from Ichigo and the approval from Byakuya. They were both really happy about this, and that made him happy. He couldn't help it even if he wanted to.

Pregnancy hormones were a bitch.


	7. Cats and Laser Pointers

Author's Note: I should have specified the time skip. Grimmjow realized he was pregnant about a month after he started doing it with Ichigo and Byakuya. ^_^ Heh!

Renji came back to consciousness slowly.

That was because he didn't really _want_ to be awake. That would mean another round of that damned arrancar's experiments. Not that he went out of his way to make them torturous. Sometimes he even administered painkillers and sedatives, when he didn't want physical distress to affect his readings. But a lot of the time he wanted normal reactions and that was _damned_ unpleasant to his test subject.

If only Szayel hadn't put this stupid collar on him. Renji desperately wanted to kill the Espada, but his collar was meant to mimic the more powerful ones that Aizen had created. It worked much the same way although he _could_ disobey the Espada, very briefly, if he put all his will into it. Unfortunately he hadn't gotten much of a chance since this nightmare started.

When he finally woke up, though, he registered something odd. Szayel was fiddling with his collar? Why?

"It's keyed to you now. But you might want to get a proper one from Aizen kami when you can." Renji blinked blearily as he realized he couldn't feel Szayel anymore. He'd always had a sense of the Espada's moods, he'd felt them through the collar. Now he was feeling someone different, someone who was… aggravated?

"Yar, yar. How long are you keeping Ichigo?" That made him try to bolt up in panic but he found he just couldn't move that quickly. There was an arm around his shoulders, someone very familiar. Renji blinked and his eyes finally managed to focus.

"Taichou?" He said weakly then stared at Szayel and… "Who?" He could tell it was an arrancar, just from the hollow reiatsu. But he felt very weak compared to Szayel so he couldn't be an Espada. He was wearing a white and blue yukata with a bright red sash. He turned his face to look and Renji was struck by the strangest feeling of familiarity. He was sure he'd seen that face before, but… not. Who was this?

"Oi, you can't recognize me shinigami? Well, you never did see my released form." He reached up to scratch behind the bone 'crown' on his forehead and Renji blinked as he saw his hands were black and capped with retractable, feline like claws. "Grimmjow Jaegerjaques, Quinta Espada."

"What?!" That was a shock but Renji quickly saw that yes, it was him. The power level though… "What happened to you?" He asked and Grimmjow barked a laugh.

"Sex. I'm knocked up." Renji couldn't help but goggle at him. Knocked up? "I'm a hermaphrodite. I've got girl bits."

"Pseudo-hermaphrodite." Szayel corrected him with scientific accuracy. "To be a hermaphrodite both of your genders would have to be fully functional." He explained and Grimmjow twitched his ears. They were on the sides of his head like human ears, but furred and very expressive.

"Yar, yar. Whatever. I struck a deal with the Octava and you belong to me now. Ready to leave for Kuchiki Manor?" He asked and Renji found he was more than willing to go. The devil you knew just didn't hold any water in these circumstances. But then he remembered what Grimmjow had said and felt a chill.

"Wait, Ichigo? What's going on with Ichigo?" He asked, panic settling into his heart. What had Ichigo done? It would be just like him to sacrifice himself for one of his friends! He hardly noticed as Szayel left the room, leaving him with Byakuya and the Quinta Espada.

"Be calm Renji." Byakuya's voice actually did calm him. His taichou knew him very well. "Unohana Retsu is supervising for us." That relaxed him even more. "It is time for you to come with us. You will need more rest."

"But… Ishida…?" He glanced around, hoping his friend was there. But it was just Byakuya and the arrancar. It was Grimmjow who answered.

"He's helping Nemu with Ichigo. Don't worry, he's fine. Szayel said Mayuri had left behind some huge files on Quincy in general, and he didn't see any need to reinvent the wheel and ruin a really great lab assistant." Grimmjow used his pinky to clean one furry ear, growling slightly in irritation. "This form can be annoying… yeah. Your friend should be fine." Renji swallowed but nodded. There was nothing he could do anyway.

Byakuya helped him, but fortunately the pace was slow. The Espada couldn't seem to move any faster and Renji frowned to himself as he examined the arrancar's reiatsu. It was seriously off. Dipping down to gillian levels, almost. Another arrancar or fukutaichou would have no problem taking him right now.

"Why's his reiatsu like that? Is it the pregnancy?" He asked in an undertone and Byakuya gave him a fractional nod. "…Huh." It seemed so strange to him to think of the incredibly aggressive arrancar as pregnant. And not entirely a man. That was just bizarre. He stayed quiet until they reached the manor and looked around curiously. Renji had been to the Kuchiki manor, of course, but it had been a while. Things hadn't changed much. "So how far along are you?" He asked the Espada, trying to strike up a conversation. Grimmjow shrugged.

"No more than a month." He said and Renji nodded. That was about how long he'd been in Szayel's clutches, so they'd gotten started pretty fast. "You get to be one of my bodyguards. There are dozens of arrancar who'd murder me in a heartbeat if they thought they could get away with it."

"Uh?" Renji was a bit shocked by that. "You have a lot of enemies?" He ventured and Grimmjow shrugged.

"Plenty, but that ain't it." The Espada licked his sharp teeth and took a seat on the edge of the fountain, running his hand through the water. "Mind if we stay out here a while? The fresh air and sun might be good for him." He asked Byakuya and Renji flushed a little. He was right though, the sun felt good on his skin. It had been quite a while since he'd felt it. Byakuya considered it a moment and nodded.

"Very well. I will remain until Kurosaki returns from his examination." He said and Grimmjow nodded before glancing back at Renji.

"There's a lot of reasons the other arrancar would want to kill me. For any who feel the urge to evolve, I'd be a damned fine meal. My reiatsu is only down because the cubs are taking it. If they ate me and the babies they'd get the full dose." He explained and Renji couldn't hide his shock and revulsion. Eat the unborn children? "The ones who are already really strong, like the Privaron Espada, would love to make a hole in the ranks they could step into. Dordoni and Cirucci would both try it. Gantenbainne might not, he's an alright guy. And it looks like he's going to make Octava Espada anyway." They were still sorting all that out. "Then there are my superiors. I dunno… Barragan probably wouldn't try anything, he's not stupid. Same for Zommari and he ain't here anyway. It's Yammy that worries me, he's dumb as a stump and incredibly powerful when he releases. And he gets stupider when he uses that form, too." Grimmjow turned to look into the fountain and Renji wondered what he saw there. "So I need bodyguards at all times. Byakuya has his duties so it's mostly Ichigo right now, but you can help out. Tosen doesn't seem to like you, hai?"

"…Hai." Renji snarled, remembering. It had been his own fault really but he couldn't bring himself to regret cussing the traitor out. "Okay, I can do that. So who's the father anyway?" He couldn't imagine who it would be. Grimmjow flashed him a quick grin.

"We don't know yet. Could be Byakuya or could be Ichigo." He said cheerfully and Renji's eyes went wide before he glanced at his taichou in absolute disbelief. Byakuya just met his gaze calmly. "I'm having twins, too. Szayel thinks we'll know who's the sire before the month is out."

"Uh, okay." Renji felt like his brain was breaking. Byakuya had actually…? He knew his taichou liked women. He'd been married before and it had been a love match. And Ichigo? He'd thought they hated each other with a passion! "This is going to be a lot to get used to." He said under his breath. The arrancar just laughed.

"Join the club, shinigami. Hey, are you hungry? I'm always hungry these days." Grimmjow said and Renji blinked as he realized he was ravenous. Byakuya summoned a servant with a look and gave a few quick orders. "The gazebo in the gardens? Nice, I love that place." Grimmjow said approvingly and Renji nodded. It was a beautiful day, lunch in the sun would be nice. And it would give him time to catch up with Byakuya.

He was sure Szayel would be keeping Ichigo for a while.

* * *

A week later

Grimmjow beamed to himself as he rested a hand on his belly.

Today he'd gone with Ichigo and Byakuya to find out who was the sire of his cubs and get the first ultrasound. They were developing very quickly – no surprise, panthers had a three month gestation – and the reiatsu pulse had been plenty strong enough for what they needed. They just hadn't expected such amazing results.

Both of them. He was carrying fraternal twins, one from each of them. Szayel had told him that it could only have occurred if he'd had sex with them both in quick succession, which neatly nailed down the conception date. Ichigo's hollow was absurdly proud of himself for 'poaching in' and making sure that one of the offspring was his. Ichigo was a bit embarrassed by his hollow but glad one of the children was his, and Byakuya was just happy he'd be getting an heir to the Kuchiki clan.

Now Grimmjow was wandering around the clan house, Renji at his back. He wasn't doing anything in particular, just stretching his legs and looking around a bit. To his puzzlement he heard the sound of wheels and heard a female giggle.

"What's goin' on here?" He asked before he turned the corner. A girl on a… scooter…? Nearly ran into him. "Who the hell are you?" He asked in confusion as he gazed at pink hair. Renji answered his question before he could.

"Yachiru! You're alive!" The pineapple sounded happy and Grimmjow moved aside so he could hug the girl. She just scowled and jerked on his hair. "Ow!"

"Let me down pineapple!" She commanded and Grimmjow grinned. He'd never actually used the nickname out loud so it was amusing to hear. "Who are you?" She looked at him with a frown on that cute little face and Grimmjow shrugged.

"Grimmjow Jaegerjaques, Quinta Espada . What're you doing playing here, girl?" He vaguely remembered her now. She'd always been hanging off the shoulder of that shinigami, the one who'd defeated Nnoitra then finally been obliterated by Aizen. The little girl looked at him thoughtfully for a moment then smiled cheerfully.

"I'm waiting for Ken-chan to get back! He must be lost again. Until he makes it I'm playin'." She said and Grimmjow's heart went out to her. From the stricken look on Renji's face, he'd heard of Kenpachi's fate.

"He's not coming back this time, cub." He said as gently as he could but she shook her head obstinately.

"Ken-chan always comes back! He's invincible." She claimed and Grimmjow sighed to himself. He wasn't going to get through to her. It was time to change the subject. "Why do you feel so strange?" She asked and Grimmjow grinned. His reiatsu was at its lowest point, no surprise with how fast the twins were developing.

"I'm pregnant." He told her as he smoothed the yukata over his completed six pack. Although it didn't look like a six pack anymore. He was starting to show, and developing a layer of fat besides. His hollow hole had vanished with the pregnancy. Yachiru looked confused and he continued. "I'm sort of a girl."

"Really?!" That seemed to excite her. "Maybe you can help me! I spoke to Nanao-chan but she said she can't. And Nemu-chan is so busy." Grimmjow tilted his head to one side. Nanao… he thought she'd been assigned to Yammy. He'd be surprised if she could do much of anything. "I want to start the Shinigami Women's Association again! So I need a new Vice President! You would be perfect!"

"Uh…" Grimmjow blinked as Renji choked. But he could see where she was coming from. It wasn't like he had anything to do, he'd been completely taken off active duty. "What is this thing exactly?" He got a rather garbled explanation from Yachiru. Renji clarified it a bit more. "So, it's basically a social club?" He was a bit interested. He was starting to make friends around Kuchiki manor, but everyone was still wary of him. Well, except for Kameyo. The kid waved every time she saw him.

"Yes! We do things to make Soul Society a better place." Yachiru said. From the look on Renji's face, Grimmjow doubted that was true. But the redhead had the sense not to say it right in front of the girl.

"Okay, why not." Grimmjow said agreeably, hoping he wasn't getting himself into something dangerous. But it sounded harmless and he was bored. "You know, if you're gonna be staying here you need a room. I'll talk to Byakuya about it." He doubted his mate would be hard hearted enough to kick Yachiru out. And if he was, Grimmjow could overrule him, although he would prefer not to do that. All his instincts told him to keep his mates happy with him. It should have pissed him off, but for some reason it didn't.

He was going to blame it on the hormones.

* * *

Unohana looked at the scans in front of her contemplatively.

The Fourth was more concerned with healing than the scientific. Like the difference between a doctor and a research scientist, they were more concerned with making things right than determining exactly how they had gone wrong. But she was still no stranger to scientific enquiry and Grimmjow's ultrasounds were of more than minor interest to her.

A panther's gestation was only three months, and that was showing the infants. It was slowed down slightly, likely due to his conversion to an arrancar and the gaining of humanoid features. Unohana thought the children would likely be born in five months. Considerably shorter than the shinigami norm but longer than almost any hollow. Being powerless in Hueco Mundo was exceedingly dangerous, even with a mate to help.

She contemplated her own situation and grimaced slightly. As the strongest surviving woman among the shinigami, she had been given to Starrk-sama. He was gentle with her and often gave her some pleasure, as well as possessing a surprisingly charming personality. He slept an amazing amount of time, acting far more like a cat than Grimmjow. Lilynette made up for it and Unohana was becoming quite fond of the young girl.

What she didn't like about her situation was the gestation period of a wolf. They made cats look like slowpokes, carrying their young for only two months. Unohana wasn't certain how that would translate to her but suspected any pregnancy would be very short. Still, she had her orders. They had been given to her from Starrk through her collar but the way he'd phrased it had made it clear he had no idea what he was asking her to do. The orders had actually come from Aizen-kami.

For shinigami, conceiving was always rather difficult. When they decided they seriously wanted children, they commonly resorted to kido and drugs to increase the odds. Unohana knew her body well and knew precisely which drugs would have the best effect. Finding the jar on the wall, she began fixing herself the tea. Szayel would no doubt have preferred an injection and that might have been more effective, but Unohana preferred a more holistic approach. It was better in terms of long term health, as well.

As she drank her eyes strayed back to the ultrasounds. It was too early to tell much about the children, but she strongly suspected that one of them was developing a tail. She was honestly quite curious to see how they would turn out.

It would give her some idea of what to expect when her turn came.

* * *

"Renji, what are you doing?" Ichigo asked in puzzlement. His friend was fiddling with something strange.

He was glad to see Renji coming back to normal. It had been hard the first few weeks, when he'd been prone to nightmares and often woke up thinking that he was in Szayel's tender care. But the effects of the trauma had gradually worn off and he was getting back to his usual self. Only without much in the way of duties, he was finding some odd ways to amuse himself. Byakuya did not approve but he was waiting for a good moment to bring Renji up to Tosen and see if their overseer would permit the redhead a place in the Divisions as a taichou. They were short enough on taichou that Tosen might forgive his outburst and decide his fiery nature had been tamed enough.

"It's something I got off that Saburo guy. It's a laser pointer." Renji demonstrated it, sending a dot of red light skittling across the ground. Ichigo scratched his head.

"Okay, I know what laser pointers are. But why do you have one?" He couldn't imagine what… Ichigo's eyes suddenly went wide as he thought of something. "Oh you are not." Renji's grin was not at all reassuring. "Grimmjow's going to maim you." He predicted and the grin only widened.

"He can't, remember? And it'd be worth it anyway!" Renji said gaily and Ichigo had to admit he had a point. His hollow was sniggering, too. "Let's see if it works. He's in the garden."

Grimmjow was indeed in the garden, dozing in the sun like a giant cat. He was wearing a new yukata today. Byakuya had called in tailors and gotten him fully outfitted. The loose garments were perfect for his anatomy and the growth that was expected. The current yukata was white cotton decorated with a pattern of blue flowers. The belt was yellow silk, an unexpected contrast to the white cotton. Ichigo blushed a little as Grimmjow stretched and yawned, flexing his clawed fingers into the grass. His yukata parted, giving them a glimpse of long, well muscled legs before he went still again.

Renji danced the dot of red light in front of the sleeping Espada, but there was no reaction as he dozed on. The shinigami took care of that by dragging the red light over closed eyelids. That made Grimmjow stir with a snarl and blue eyes opened, glancing around for what had disturbed him. He didn't spot the two of them but he did find the little red light.

Ichigo held his breath as he saw Grimmjow go from annoyed to puzzled, then curious. A black hand snapped down on the light, which darted away. The other hand followed, but then Grimmjow suddenly stopped, his brow furrowing. Then he deliberately lifted his hand and caught the red light on the back of it. Blue eyes snapped away, following the trail of the light to its source and Ichigo immediately pointed at Renji, who had a clear 'busted' look on his face. He wanted no part of the coming explosion.

But Grimmjow surprised them both by just giving them a look of complete disgust before yawning and rolling over, going back to his nap. Ichigo released a breath he hadn't known he was holding and Renji shrugged, putting the laser pointer away.

"I guess taichou is right. He's not stupid, just uneducated." Ichigo choked a little at that, although he could easily picture Byakuya saying it. He was very honest with Grimmjow and Ichigo could tell the arrancar appreciated it. "He caught on really fast. I doubt they've got any laser pointers in Hueco Mundo."

"Probably not. But don't do that again, Ishida will kill me if I let you get hurt." Renji just laughed but Ichigo was serious. Ishida had had some painful things to say to him about his failure to rescue Inoue and protect Karakura town. And he'd made it clear that as the least encumbered of them all, he needed to find out if everyone was alright. And if they weren't, he needed to make it happen. Ichigo had no idea how he was going to do that, but they key was Grimmjow. He needed to take advantage of the pregnancy as long as it lasted. It felt a bit manipulative, but he had no choice.

His friends might be counting on it.


	8. The Shinigami Women's Association

Soi-fon sipped her tea as she patiently listened to the meeting.

She was listening to Barragan receiving his fraccion's reports. Aizen had resurrected the casualties for him, after Barragan had humbly begged kami for the favor. It was probably the only humble thing he had ever done in his life.

She kept her gaze on the table, trying not to betray how much she despised him. She really did loathe the arrogant Espada. Soi-fon had always inclined towards other women, and being raped by this creature was infuriating. The way he often had his pretty boys prepare him first was even worse. It was beyond degrading.

She also hated his arrogance. In his mind, Aizen was a god and he was a King. She'd asked him, once, why he thought so highly of himself. She'd expected him to punish her for such an impudent question but Barragan had just laughed and told her he'd been a King among men, too. At first she'd been inclined to think that was more of his arrogance but he'd expanded on it once, after sex. The way he'd said it had stuck with her and had seemed genuine.

"_I was a King to them, and the instrument of the Gods. Many times I went to war, and my enemies were put to death on the altars of the great pyramids, their blood dripping down the stones. Great games were held in my honor and the winners were sent to the gods as honorable sacrifices. Ah, those were great days, when I was young and strong and alive."_

Soi-fon completely forgot about that, though, as her keen senses detected something. She managed to keep from stiffening with an effort of will, and sipped her tea casually. If she only acted as normally as possible there was a slight chance that Barragan wouldn't –

"Soi-fon. Take care of that little problem for me." The King of Hueco Mundo rumbled and the collar forced her to obey. Standing up from the table she suddenly moved in a burst of shunpo and plucked a cat out of an air vent. The little cat yowled piteously as she held it by the scruff of its neck. There was a laugh from Barragan's fraccion as they saw what she held. The Espada just rested his cheek against his fist.

"Ooo, something for me to play with!" Ggio said with a wicked grin and Soi-fon hid her disgust. Ggio was very catlike and while that was pleasant in many ways, he liked to toy with his prey. It was truly appalling to watch, even to a hardened member of the Onmitsukido. Then she frowned, looking at the cat in her hand. It almost looked like a… kitten?

"Assume your human form." She ordered the cat and a golden mist sprang up. When it cleared, she was holding a little boy, perhaps seven years old. There was a silence around the table until Ggio crossed his arms and pouted.

"I can't play with that!" He said unhappily as the rest of the fraccion laughed. Soi-fon blessed the stars that he at least considered children to be off limits. She gently set the boy down but kept a hand on his shoulder, feeling the child tremble. He glanced up at her and she noticed his eyes were a rather familiar gold. His hair, though, was a bright orange that reminded her of Kurosaki. Barragan finally lifted his head with a low grumble.

"Soi-fon, remove that child's memories of anything he might have heard with your kido, but make certain he remembers being caught. Then return him to his parents and warn them I will not tolerate such foolishness a second time." He ordered and she bowed slightly before dragging the boy away.

"Why did you do something so stupid? You could have been killed." She demanded of the child as soon as they were out of earshot. He was very close to tears but she didn't feel the least sympathetic. Experienced spies had met their end trying to listen in on Barragan's meetings.

"M-My sister said I could never get past the wards but I said I could… I'm sorry!" He said tearfully and Soi-fon sighed to herself. She would have to check the wards again. The last execution had been grotesque; she really didn't want to witness that again. "I won't do it again."

"After your parents get done tanning your bottom, you certainly won't." Soi-fon said drily and the boy's eyes widened as he realized how his parents were likely to react to this.

Soi-fon took care of that duty quickly and made her way back to the meeting. She had just settled in again when a fearful servant came into the room and knelt beside Barragan. She saw his eye twitch in irritation at the interruption but the ancient hollow was too levelheaded to take out his annoyance on a messenger.

"What is it?" He rumbled, glaring down at the man. He gave his message without lifting his gaze from the floor. It was well known that Barragan wanted mere lackeys to keep their eyes down in his presence, and he enforced that rule sternly.

"Forgive me, Barragan-sama, but there is a visitor – " That was as a far as the man got before the door was shoved open. Soi-fon stared as the blue haired Sexta Espada entered the room. She'd heard 'he' was pregnant, but she hadn't expected such a complete change in appearance. In addition to the wild blue hair, blue furred ears and crown-like piece of bone, he was wearing a very comfortable looking blue and white yukata. The bright red sash on his waist looked like a splash of blood.

"Yeah, I can take it from here. Hi Barragan! How's the YMCA doing?" Grimmjow eyed the Seguna Espada's fraccion, grinning wickedly. Soi-fon winced to herself. That comment was unkind but accurate.

"Oh Grimmy-kitten, we're doing great! How kind of you to ask!" Charlotte blew him a kiss and the Espada's lip curled, exposing one sharp canine as the rest of the fraccion laughed.

"What do you want?" Barragan rumbled, breaking up the incipient fight. Grimmjow turned his attention back to his fellow Espada, reaching up and scratching behind one feline ear. Soi-fon found her gaze drawn to those ears and wondered if the fur was as soft as it looked. Then she noticed he also had a tail. It was hard to see, mostly hidden by the yukata.

"I want your woman." He pointed right at her with one clawed finger and Soi-fon blinked, shocked. What could the pregnant Espada want with her? "I'm the, the…" He paused a moment with a frown then snapped his fingers. "…The Vice-President of the Shinigami Women's Association and I'm in charge of putting this shit back together. So it's time for a goddamn meeting. The President wants it on Tuesday at three so we can have tea time with crumpets. And you can't come Charlotte, don't even ask." He added as the fraccion opened his mouth.

"But I love crumpets! If you're feminine enough, aren't I feminine enough? You don't even try!" He protested and Grimmjow sneered.

"Yeah, see, having girly bits means I don't have to try." He said as Soi-fon wondered what the hell was going on. The President? Did that mean that Yachiru had survived Kenpachi's death? And what was her connection to the Espada? But Barragan was frowning.

"What organization is this? I have not heard of it." He growled, looking at Grimmjow with narrowed eyes. "Explain, Sexta." He ordered, as he had a right to do given that he was much higher in rank. Fortunately, Grimmjow was more than willing to talk.

"It's just a bunch of girls who get together and try to make things better for everyone. Well, mostly. I'm honestly not sure how much helping people goes on compared to tea and sweets." He carefully inserted a clawed pinkie into his ear, working out a bit of earwax and fur. "And the girls left some really nice magazines in their digs. I've been reading 'em. You guys should get some, you'd really like 'em." Soi-fon hid behind her teacup. She was well aware of the magazines he was referring to and the worst part was that Barragan's fraccion probably would enjoy them.

"Oh, very well. I will expect a report when you return." Barragan said to Soi-fon who bent her head submissively. Inwardly, she was almost looking forward to it. Even with an Espada at the meeting it would feel like a return to normality. And she badly wanted to see Yachiru again. "Now get out of here before I destroy you."

"Yar, yar. Later douchebags." Grimmjow gave the fraccion a lackluster wave before exiting the room. Abirama was muttering about his lack of respect, but most of the room didn't care. It was what they expected from the Sexta. As her turn came Soi-fon gave her report, hating every moment of it. When she was done Barragan would give her orders, and they would be aimed towards crushing any resistance in Soul Society.

More than anything about him, she hated his competence.

* * *

"This was really nice of Byakuya." Grimmjow looked at the spread in front of him approvingly. "I'll have to give him a special thank you tonight." He purred a little at the thought. Having cubs inside him was kicking his libido into high gear for some reason.

The food was more attractive at the moment, though. With official blessing to be there, the Shinigami Women's Society meeting was being catered by Byakuya's servants. They had put together a fruit platter, a sashimi platter and an assortment of sweet rice cakes. The platters were artistically arranged and decorated with flowers. Grimmjow admired them for a moment before moving the sashimi one closer to him, and ensuring that at least one rice cake was near Yachiru's spot. She'd be needing that, sure as anything.

"Erm, hello?" A very tentative voice said and Grimmjow turned to see a shinigami woman with silver hair. She was looking at him with wide grey eyes and seemed to be scared of him. It was sort of funny, considering how far his power was dipping lately. He'd have a tough time fighting her off. "Is… Is this where the meeting is being held?"

"Yep. We got tea and nibbles, just waiting for everyone else to show up." Unable to restrain himself any longer, Grimmjow took a piece of the sashimi and munched the raw fish. He was putting away a ridiculous amount of food in addition to his reishi pills, but Szayel said it was normal and good for the babies.

"Grimmy-chan!" Yachiru sprinted into the room and leapt onto his shoulder, settling in easily. "Are we – wow! This looks nice!" She grabbed a flower and ate it, to his mild shock. "I love these!"

"Those are edible?" Grimmjow wondered aloud before taking one and biting into it. "…Huh." It was very… vegetative. He wasn't much of a leaf eater, no surprise given his hollow nature. He did love leek soup though. "Not my thing." He took a seat at the table and Yachiru scrambled off his shoulder to grab the rice cake he'd set out for her.

Soon the rest of the girls filed in and Grimmjow frowned a little as he saw the marks of abuse on Nanao. Barragan at least left Soi Fon free of damage, from what he could tell. Isane paled slightly at the obvious bruises and immediately went to heal them.

"Fucking Yammy." Grimmjow breathed. He'd thought the asshole had agreed to let her come too easily. This was probably some kind of sick message to him. Yammy was as clever as a boulder but he knew how to leave messages. "You got any cuts? I can give you some healing." He offered but they she shook her head. He glanced at Yachiru but she seemed to be taking this calmly. But then, she wasn't really a child even if she acted like one. When the woman had gotten all the healing she could take he called the meeting to order.

"So yeah, the first order of business – " That was as far as he got before the President interrupted.

"You know, no one ever finished the Hanataichi essay! The first one who does will win an… apple!" She pulled one out of her sleeve and Grimmjow opened his mouth to ask what she was talking about. He got an apple in his mouth and there were a few giggles around the table as he blinked. "And the Vice-President gets an apple for the babies!" She beamed at him and Grimmjow pulled the apple out of his mouth before taking a large bite.

"Thanks Yachiru. Someone'll have to explain this essay thing to me. So anyway. First order of business is funding." He said and the women all looked at him curiously. "Or rather, lack thereof. I went to see Tosen and he used a lot of big words, but the gist was that I'm worthless, this whole club is worthless and we'll never see two copper out of him."

"What! The Shinigami Women's Association used to have the biggest budget of all the clubs." Matsumoto protested and Grimmjow shrugged.

"Yeah, well, used to is the way to put it. Maybe someone else should have gone to talk to Tosen, but Yachiru says he hates her too." The girls all nodded, unsurprised. Apparently Tosen thought that little girls shouldn't be fukutaichou's. Grimmjow couldn't really disagree but it meant that it probably hadn't mattered who had approached the shinigami. "So I've got some ideas for how we can make money. I think we should do a calendar."

"A calendar?" Nemu asked softly and he nodded.

"Yeah, like this." He pulled out something he'd picked up in the Living World and opened it to his favorite page. It immediately caught the girl's attention. "This is a fireman calendar; apparently they make 'em in the Living World to raise funds for the fire department. So I was thinking we could make an arrancar and shinigami version – hey!" Matsumoto had snatched the calendar out of his hand and Grimmjow mentally cursed his weakened powers. If he'd been at full strength she'd never have gotten close.

"Oh, this is wonderful!" She began flipping through it, grinning wickedly. "Look Isane, look!" Poor Isane was turning pink and covering her eyes. Grimmjow wasn't sure why. They weren't even naked.

"Yes, and we're going to do one!" Yachiru took over, speaking enthusiastically. "Soi Fon! You need to get, um…" She consulted a paper. Grimmjow had needed to write the names down for her. "Findorr, Ggio and maybe Abirama." Grimmjow grinned at the look on the woman's face. Shocked was an understatement.

"If they give you trouble just tell Barragan what it's for and ask him to order 'em. He'll love it." Grimmjow advised. He and Barragan weren't best buddies, but he knew the Espada would find the whole notion of a naughty calendar hilarious. He'd probably want a few copies, too. "And for fuck's sake, don't let Charlotte pose. Or if you do, burn the pictures afterwards." There were some things he did not want to see. Soi Fon swallowed, then nodded.

"I will not fail you Yachiru-san." She said and Yachiru happily continued, giving out her assignments. Grimmjow just settled back and listened. Nemu was in charge of getting Ishida in a compromising position, and Szayel if he was interested. Any Espada involved were going to be purely voluntary. It was safer that way.

Matsumoto was assigned to Dordoni and Isane was assigned to Gantenbainne, so those were pretty obvious. Isane was highly embarrassed but Matsumoto grinned wickedly. Grimmjow was sure she had Dordoni wrapped around her little finger by now. He'd always fancied himself a ladies man so it wouldn't be difficult. The only one left out in the assignments was Nanao and Grimmjow felt bad for her. But they all knew she wouldn't get away from her duties enough for it, and the thought of a picture of Yammy was puke worthy. Then the conversation went to shinigami they could include. The names didn't mean much to him, they were mostly new promotions anyway.

"Why would shinigami buy a calendar full of pictures of arrancar?" Soi fon asked and Grimmjow grinned. Yachiru hadn't mentioned his part in this, since they'd already discussed it.

"Because I'm gonna get pictures of Ichigo, Ichigo's hollow, Renji and Byakuya." He said and Soi Fon blinked. "I'll have to get Byakuya's permission and it can't be anything like these – " He tapped the calendar. "He has his dignity. But I bet I can get something nice. Yachiru says that'll sell the deal." Apparently, Byakuya had a huge female fandom. Sure enough, all the girls looked excited.

"That would be perfect!" Matsumoto said enthusiastically. "If you can really get a picture of Byakuya, these will sell like hot cakes!" Grimmjow nodded.

"Now, that makes for eleven pictures if we include Szayel." He wasn't sure they should, but there was probably some random hot fukutaichou they could include. "I've got an idea for the last one, but I need to do some work on it." It was just a vague idea now. He needed to corner Nemu and Soi Fon to see if it would work. "For now, let's just try to get some extra pictures to cover it." That would be fine for now.

Shunsui Kyoraku had no reason to pose for him, but Grimmjow thought he might be able to come up with a very compelling bribe.

* * *

"Tch." Grimmjow grimaced as he walked through the private estate of a prominent clan. He wasn't sure which one this was and he didn't really care. Tosen clearly thought they were at least a minor threat, or they wouldn't have been hosting Halibel and her fraccion.

He honestly wasn't eager to be doing this. It made him look and feel like a bit of a wimp. But when Ichigo had taken his hands and given him that particular look, his brown eyes full of worry and fears… he'd wanted to do anything to make his mate happy again. And Ichigo wanted to know what was happening to his friends, wanted to know if they were alright.

Grimmjow had refused point blank to beard Ulquiorra about Inoue. He wasn't stupid and Ulquiorra didn't like him. From what he'd heard, the bat was getting dangerously territorial about his woman. It made Grimmjow wonder if she might already be pregnant. If so, she hadn't been taken to Szayel. Which was stupid but Ulquiorra's logical nature had always hidden some very powerful instincts, so it was possible.

Either way, taking a powerful shinigami to Ulquiorra's den would just be crazy. Byakuya and Renji would be bad, but Ichigo would be completely unacceptable. Seeing Orihime's old crush would probably cause an explosion of some kind and Grimmjow did not want to deal with that shit. He was actually kind of surprised the Quatro had spared Ichigo once. He didn't want to see if he would again.

But that left his other friends, Chad and Rukia. Chad was the one he was coming to see today. To his surprise and amusement, Halibel had been given Toshiro and the human boy. Grimmjow had a good idea that Halibel was supposed to be mating with Toshiro while the human was a toy for her fraccion. Although he'd defeated Gantenbaine, which made him fairly powerful. Even if one or two of the fraccion got knocked up, they would still have enough power to defend Halibel from up and coming arrancar.

"Grimmjow! You look like you swallowed a soccer ball." Was his greeting and he couldn't help but grin as he glanced down at his front. Mila Rose's comment was very accurate and he smoothed his yukata over the growing baby bump.

"Yeah, tell me about it. Doesn't it look good on me though?" Mila looked like she must have misheard and Apacci laughed, leaning against a wall. But he was serious. Grimmjow thought he looked great like this, pregnant with his offspring and dressed in a black and pink yukata. Pink wasn't usually his color, but the pattern was sakura blossoms. It would make his 'family' clear to the nobles Halibel was staying with.

The two fraccion took him and Ichigo to a sitting room where they were served tea by the servants. Grimmjow sipped it politely, wishing he could ask for some crappy wine. But he didn't want to sound completely insane. Ichigo drank his tea as though he liked it, and he probably did. He'd been raised on the stuff, most likely.

"So who owns this place anyway?" Grimmjow asked and Apacci just shrugged.

"Don't know, don't care." She said which made his opinion of her sink to new lows. He might not be any use at supervising the Kuchiki clan, but he was at least getting a handle on what they actually did. He'd spent some time with Saburo in the archives, carefully staying out of the way.

"They're the Hanashima clan. They specializing in weaving and textiles, and make all the finest kimonos and other formal wear in Soul Society." Mila Rose supplied and Grimmjow blinked as he realized he knew this clan. They'd taken his measurements for a single, formal kimono in a unisex style. He wasn't planning to wear it much, but Byakuya wanted him to have it for special occasions. "Why are you acting like such a brat?"

"I want to go home." Apacci said sullenly and Grimmjow could sympathize. He wasn't feeling homesick anymore, largely because he was nesting. His instincts wanted a safe place for the cubs and Kuchiki manor was about a million times better than Hueco Mundo for his twins.

"We cannot return." He looked up as Halibel entered the room. Then someone followed behind her and Ichigo erupted from his cushion with a glad cry.

"Chad!" He ran to his friend and hugged him tightly. "Are you alright?" His friend hugged him back, a small smile crossing his face.

"I am well." The big teen said stoically and Grimmjow nodded to himself. Halibel wouldn't let her fraccion get rough with the kid and he doubted they'd be inclined that way anyway. "And you?" From the concern on his face and the way Chad glanced at him, he was pretty worried. Not surprising, he had tried to kill Kurosaki on multiple occasions.

"I'm fine." Ichigo said, relieved, then blinked as Halibel softly cleared her throat. "Oh, sorry." The two parted, taking their seats at the table. Mila and Apacci left, probably figuring this would get boring.

"So Halibel, how's it hangin'?" Grimmjow asked, attempting to make conversation. She shrugged, taking a sip of the tea a servant poured for her.

"Well enough. Tosen is keeping us busy." She said and Grimmjow nodded. Byakuya kept him and Ichigo up on current events, so he knew the troubles in Soul Society were getting worse, not better. The disturbances were still centered in the Rukongai but there were issues in the Seireitei too. Arrancar and shinigami were both vanishing, and the blame was mostly being put on the arrancar, but not entirely. The prey would turn and hunt the predator when they could and the damned Numeros were desperate to advance. That could make them stupid.

"Tosen needs to start arranging leave to go to Hueco Mundo, anything to take the pressure off." He'd already said that to Byakuya and Tosen understood the problem. He just didn't want to weaken his forces by sending a bunch of arrancar off when things were still unstable. Halibel shrugged.

"Perhaps. But I doubt you came to speak to me about strategy." She observed and Grimmjow grinned. She was dead right about that, Tosen would never listen to him for a moment. "What do you want?" Grimmjow glanced at the two teenagers, who were deep in a quiet conversation and mostly ignoring them.

"I already got part of it. Ichigo wanted to see his buddy." He said bluntly and could almost feel Halibel smile behind her mask of bone. "I was wondering though. Did you want to join the Shinigami Women's Association?"

"What?" She asked, puzzled, and Grimmjow explained. "…I really don't have time for something like that." She said and he nodded, unsurprised. Unohana Retsu wasn't about to join up either. "And why would they admit arrancar?"

"No idea, but I'm the Vice President so we're clearly open to anything. Except Charlotte." He said in disgust and Halibel chuckled softly. "So did Szayel come up with something for your thing?" He asked and Halibel nodded.

"A cream. It's very effective." She glanced at Chad and Grimmjow had a feeling she hadn't told her two lovers about her problem. Well, it wouldn't be very sexy, telling someone they were potentially sticking their dick into a cheese grater. "What is it like, being pregnant?" There was more than minor interest there, so Grimmjow thought for a moment and did his best.

"Well, it started with me feeling really shitty. Super tired and hardly able to think. If you start feeling like that, make sure you release your zanpakuto. Szayel says that it looks like arrancar can't be sealed during pregnancy, it would kill them or abort the cubs." From the way he'd felt before he'd released Pantera, Grimmjow was inclined to agree. Halibel nodded. "Right now, I'm just really hungry. I'm having some weird cravings too. Last night I had a big bowl of strawberries with peanut butter." He normally wasn't that fond of peanut butter, so it was odd for him. Halibel blinked at the thought. "I'm getting kinda hot too. I think I'm gonna have to swim in the fountain." Grimmjow was sure someone would mind, but he didn't care. That fountain was looking better every day. "I was wondering though. Would you let me borrow your fraccion for something?" He asked with studied casualness. This was actually a huge part of the reason for his being here.

"What did you need them for?" Halibel asked with a touch of suspicion and Grimmjow laughed as he sipped his tea.

"I left behind some stuff in Hueco Mundo." That was absolutely true. He'd left behind his set of glass dildos. He didn't even really want them anymore – the real thing was way better – and it wasn't like he could resell them. People had standards. But they made a convenient excuse. "It's hidden in the corner of my room, under the floor. Not hard to find." It was just a sliding tile. "And I was wondering if the girls could check up on Zommari's girl while they're there, see if she's alright." The stuff he'd left behind would make a good excuse, and as fraccion Halibel's girls had more freedom to move around than most. Halibel considered it for a moment and Grimmjow didn't think he was fooling her at all. But she might be inclined to do him a favor anyway.

"Very well. But they have a demanding schedule and I will not spare them from it." She warned him and Grimmjow nodded. If that was the best she was offering, he would take it. It might be months but they would get some word of Rukia's fate.

That was all he could ask for.


	9. Orihime and Hurt Teeth

Shunsui lay in the grass, trying to enjoy the peaceful day and catch up on some much needed sleep.

It wasn't easy. In all his years in Soul Society, he'd never been placed in such a position. His own servitude was not too bad. His mistress could be difficult, but the day he couldn't get around a woman was the day he would give up his kimono. No, it was his mistress' master who made everything impossible.

Shunsui sighed, opened his eyes to look up at the blue sky, and indulged in a moment of self-pity. His clan was suffering so cruelly under the Espada of Rage. They'd had to foster out all the children to allied houses, to keep them safe from his unpredictable behavior. And as for what was happening to his Nanao-chan…

"Shunsui!" He winced slightly at the shrill, carrying tone his woman was using. Practical when she had no idea where he was, perhaps, but not very pleasant. "Where are you? Come here!" He sighed as he felt the tug through his collar. He was far more powerful than his mistress but with Kami's little toys, that was no help.

"I am coming, Cirucci-chan." He called before pushing himself to his feet and taking a deep drink of saki. Saki was his best friend at the moment. "What can I do for you, my sweet Cirucci-chan?" He said as he turned a corner in the garden, passing a well sculpted hedge. Then he blinked as he saw the person beside her. "Grimmjow-chan! You look adorable." Shunsui said with a smile, knowing that might irritate the Espada of Destruction. But it was nothing but the truth. With his cat ears and lovely, black and white yukata, he was quite fetching.

"Yeah, don't you know it." Grimmjow said with a perverse pride, grinning and showing off his sharp fangs. "Don't call me that after I kit, though, or I'll rip your balls off." Shunsui shuddered theatrically at the thought and took another drink of his saki before offering it to the arrancar. But Grimmjow declined. "The twins don't like that and they're starting to move around. Feels like a bad case of gas when they get upset." He explained and Shunsui nodded sympathetically before putting the saki away. He should probably stay sober for a little while longer.

"Hmph! And I finally know why you wouldn't sleep with me." Cirucci said waspishly, giving the Espada a glare. His grin took on shark like proportions and Shunsui wished he could be somewhere else. This looked like it might turn into a fight and he really didn't want to be called in to help Cirucci. From the feel of Grimmjow's energy, he could swat the Espada like a bug at the moment.

"Where is your escort?" He suddenly asked as that reminded him. He'd heard that Ichigo and Renji were watching over the pregnant Espada, but he seemed to be alone at the moment. That seemed especially foolhardy when Yammy was in attendance. Grimmjow shrugged.

"Ichigo got cornered by some guy named Iba. Something about the Shinigami Men's Association? Anyway, I couldn't stand all the begging and whining so Cirucci said she'd look after me." Grimmjow cleaned out his ear with a clawed finger, then fluffed the fur. "And apparently Yammy's at a party or some shit. Good riddance." Shunsui glanced at Cirucci and was relieved when she nodded. She was essentially Yammy's fraccion these days, whether she liked it or not. She couldn't protect Grimmjow from the other Espada.

"So what do you want?" Cirucci asked impatiently and Shunsui sighed to himself, thinking longingly of his saki. He would really like to be back on the grass…

"I was wondering if you'd do the Shinigami Women's Association a favour if we did you a favour." The Quinta Espada said and Shunsui blinked as he realized the man… woman?... was addressing him. "We're defunded at the moment so we need some models for our hot sexy guy calendar. Our balance of arrancar to shinigami is a bit off, and you look pretty built. You up for it?" He asked and Shunsui didn't have to think twice.

"I regret that I cannot. My affections belong only to my beloved Cirucci-chan." He said, smiling at her sunnily. It wasn't the truth of course. The truth was that he was a taichou and a prominent member of his family, although not the clan head. He had responsibilities and they didn't include posing half-naked or even a quarter naked for the Shinigami Women's Association. But he was a master at buttering up a lady and the small untruth made Cirucci turn a bit pink. Grimmjow laughed.

"Damn! I like you… but you haven't heard what we're offering yet." His grin was absolutely wicked. "How would you like to see Yammy puking his guts up for a solid week?" He asked and Shunsui lifted his eyebrows at the intriguing offer.

"How in hell could you do that?" Cirucci asked as Shunsui mulled it over. He hated Yammy like he'd hated no other being for what he'd done to his clan and Nanao-chan. That made Grimmjow's proposition a very tempting offer, but how could he do that?

"Simple. Nemu's got Szayel under her palm, sort of, and he's got this serum that disrupts reiatsu. It's pretty experimental and it has to be injected so not the greatest, but we've also got Soi-fon. If she can't get that shit into Yammy no one can." Grimmjow sounded confident and Kyoraku thought he had reason to be. Yammy lazed about the majority of the time, it wouldn't be hard to catch him unawares. "Now, there are a few downsides. Szayel we can probably keep out of the loop but Barragan is way too clever for me. He'll get some blackmail material." Kurosaki jogged up then, looking highly irritated, but Shunsui ignored him in favour of the Espada. He was keenly interested now. "However, he's already got enough on me to bury me about five times over so I don't give a shit. I don't know about you guys."

"The bastard already has some dirt on me. It's up to you, Shunsui." Cirucci said and he considered it a moment. Then he pulled the straw hat off his head, holding it in front of his chest.

"I will sacrifice my dignity to this noble cause." He said seriously and the Espada snorted with laughter. Ichigo rubbed his face, looking slightly embarrassed and Shunsui easily drew the conclusion that he'd also been pulled in as a model. "When will we do this?" As far as he could see, Grimmjow didn't have a camera.

"Tomorrow if you're down. I'm using my chit with Tosen to get this girl from the 4th some glasses and she's doing the photography for us. She's really good, her name is Yamada Rinasca." He said and Shunsui noted the name. He'd never heard of her but if she wasn't very powerful, that was to be expected. "What time would be good?" They quickly arranged a meeting during his time off. They'd crushed the last rebellion in the Rukongai so that time off would likely be uninterrupted.

"And when are you going to pay us back?" Cirucci asked before he could. That was nice, he preferred not to since it was a rather ungracious question. Grimmjow shrugged.

"As soon as Soi-fon can get some time off her duties. Nemu's already gotten her the stuff. I'd say about a week, if that. She's pretty fast." He said and Kyoraku nodded. He was sure that Soi-fon would get on it very quickly. She wasn't a close friend of Nanao's but the ladies did tend to stick together.

"We will eagerly await her success." He said with a small bow and Grimmjow grinned again.

"Y'know, I really like you. Too bad I can't steal you off Cirucci." Ichigo bristled at the suggestion and Shunsui happened to spot his eyes going gold for a brief moment. That was interesting. "Well, I'd like to stay for tea and crumpets but we have some errands to run. Later." Shunsui placed his hat back on his head as they watched the two depart. Ichigo was saying something to the Espada and he responded by nuzzling the teen. Ichigo replied with a rather feral love bite and Kyoraku lifted his eyebrows. It seemed some of the Espada were getting along with their charges better than others.

"Hmph. I could have gotten a strap on." Cirucci muttered and Shunsui wished he hadn't heard that. The image his mind conjured was interesting but also a bit appalling. "Shunsui? What's a crumpet?" She asked and he blinked.

"You don't know about crumpets? My dear Cirucci-chan! Come to the garden with me and we can have some." He invited her and she accepted with a fair amount of graciousness. "They go most excellently with tea, but I prefer them with saki."

"You prefer everything with saki these days." Cirucci retorted and Shunsui nodded, a little sadly. He really was drinking too much. He knew it and everyone else knew it, but he needed the comfort the alcohol could provide. "Not that I blame you. Got any extra?"

"Of course." He said, reminded that Cirucci was in much the same boat. She wasn't as abused as Nanao-chan, but she wasn't left alone either. And just like Nanao, she couldn't say no. But at least they could strike back at their tormenter in some small way.

It was something to be cheerful about.

* * *

Sooner or later, it was bound to happen.

Secure in his new nest, Grimmjow had almost forgotten how much of a target he was. So he didn't pay much attention to his watchers. Byakuya was attentive to his safety, when he was there, but he had his duties. Renji had duties as well. Tosen had decided to overlook his earlier explosion and had put him back in the Sixth as a seated officer, with the possibility of being promoted to taichou if he could control himself. That left Ichigo to be his bodyguard. He was very watchful, mainly because of his hollow. The hollow understood the danger perfectly well and reminded him whenever he got off course.

Some things, however, were inevitable. Grimmjow felt Ichigo leave, probably to go to the washroom, and thought nothing of it. He and Kameyo were sleeping in the garden, enjoying the breeze and the warm sunshine. The little girl was draped over his midsection and Grimmjow chuckled softly as he felt one of the twins kick. Then the other followed and that made him grunt.

"Ow. Was that my liver?" He murmured drowsily, then winced as it happened again. "Brat! …Uh?" Something alerted him. Maybe it was a snap of a twig, or the sudden hush of the birds. He would never be sure but Grimmjow trusted his instincts. Grabbing Kameyo he leapt away in a burst of sonido.

Just in time. A black clad figure crashed down on the ground where he'd been sleeping, a cero exploding and raising a cloud of dust. He dropped Kameyo and turned to face his opponent, calling for Kurosaki as he did. There was no point in summoning Byakuya and Renji, they were too far away to be of any use. The dust cleared just a touch and Grimmjow dodged, gritting his teeth as a sword opened a nasty cut on his shoulder. His speed and hierro were just too low!

"BAD!" Grimmjow's eyes went wide as Kameyo latched onto the other arrancar's leg, biting down with all her strength. The arrancar yelped, more in surprise than pain, then kicked her away. Grimmjow could hear bones breaking as the little girl hit a tree.

"KAMEYO!" He began charging a cero, his rage giving it strength. The other arrancar met it with his own cero, but he didn't have as long to charge and he was blasted back. Then Grimmjow blinked as he vanished in sonido. He was running away?

"BASTARD!" That warped howl caught his attention and the wind whipped around him as Kurosaki shot past. Grimmjow grinned for a moment. That arrancar would be lucky to make it out alive. Then the grin vanished as he remembered.

"Shit! Shitshitshit…" He went to the limp little body that was his young friend. Her eyes were closed and she was deathly pale. It took only a few careful touches for him to establish that many, many bones were broken. Gently touching her neck he found a pulse, but it was very weak. "Kurosaki!" He called the teen back with his collar. Killing that bastard would be nice, but not at the cost of Kameyo's life, and he could think of only one thing that was likely to save her. Ichigo came back wearing a half-mask and a furious look on his face.

"We almost got him! What… oh." The mask flaked away as the teen saw what he was holding in his arms. Guards were on the scene now and one of them tried to take the girl from him but he snarled her away. "Grimm?"

"We need to get her to Orihime. Come on!" He barked before heading out as fast as he could. Kurosaki kept pace easily and Grimmjow hoped that Ulquiorra wouldn't be there. But it couldn't be helped, the Quatro would just have to deal.

Ulquiorra's nest was actually another noble clan. The Quatro had been set to watch them, which indicated they were reasonably dangerous. Grimmjow knew the name of the clan but it was the last thing he cared about at the moment. His orders to the servants were sharp and they obeyed him hastily, particularly with Ichigo's angered reiatsu filling the air. Orihime looked up in surprise as they burst into her rooms. Vaguely, Grimmjow saw she was staying in a very fancy suite, open and airy. But he couldn't give less of a crap about that at the moment.

"Woman! Heal her!" He barked at her and Orihime's eyes went wide as she saw he was carrying a child. She hurried to obey as he gently set Kameyo on the floor, staining the floor rugs with blood. Grimmjow knelt beside her as Orihime's golden shield surrounded her. The healing was taking a while, which indicated the severity of the damage. Simple wounds went away almost immediately at Orihime's healing touch.

Then a powerful reiatsu flooded the room and Grimmjow looked up sharply. Ulquiorra was standing in the doorway, expressionless as always, but the way he was gazing at Kurosaki seemed to spell doom. So did the way he was taking slow, measured steps into the room. Grimmjow felt his mouth go dry, but there wasn't a lot he could do to stop it if the two of them were going to fight.

He could only watch.

* * *

_King, give me control right now!_ The snap of his hollow's voice was seconded by Zangetsu and Ichigo yielded instantly. He could feel the violence singing in the air, the challenge being issued and had no idea how to handle it.

His hollow knew how. Instead of stepping towards Ulquiorra and accepting the challenge, he stepped back, then to the side, placing himself behind Grimmjow. Kneeling down behind his mate, the hollow kept his eyes trained on Ulquiorra before he bit down on the side of the Espada's throat. Grimmjow winced and there was a small trickle of blood, but he made no complaint.

It didn't take long for Ichigo to understand what his hollow was doing. He was laying a claim on Grimmjow and issuing his own challenge to Ulquiorra. _This is my mate. Want to make something of it? _And hollows were usually monogamous. By claiming the Espada so blatantly in front of Ulquiorra, he was implicitly stating that he had no interest in Orihime. Ulquiorra blinked and all the tension seemed to go out of the room. The Quatro Espada moved behind Orihime, lightly resting his hands on her shoulders as she worked.

"Owww." There was a whimper from Kameyo as the golden shield finally shattered and Grimmjow gathered the little girl to him with a relieved sigh. "My teeth hurt." She said and the Espada laughed, ruffling her hair.

"Your teeth? Damn, kid, you're lucky it's just your teeth! You're making me tear my hair out. I'm going to go bald again and it's all your fault." He gently scolded Kameyo, who just blinked before giving him a cheeky grin. "Wait until I tell your mama about this!" He said and that finally got through. Kameyo's eyes widened and she gave him a look of massive dismay.

"I was just protecting you and the Kuchiki heir! The guards say that's really important!" She protested and Ichigo grinned to himself as he saw Ulquiorra lift his eyebrows. Orihime was looking at him with wide eyes, clearly wondering what was happening here.

"What happened? Explain, Quinta." The Quarto Espada ordered and Grimmjow complied, giving a succinct rundown of the fight. Ichigo felt his hollow's anger rousing again and firmly suppressed him. That wouldn't help right now, with the miscreant long gone. "Where were you when this was happening?" Ulquiorra asked him and Ichigo and his hollow both bristled. Another hollow had no right to question them!

"He was on the can. It was my fault, I should have followed him." Grimmjow sounded irritated and resigned. Ulquiorra blinked slowly at the thought and Ichigo grimaced as his hollow tittered. "Next time I will, I don't want the brat getting killed trying to protect me." He gently hugged Kameyo, who giggled. She was completely recovered and seemed unaware of how close to death she'd come. "We need to get you home." He didn't want to stay at Ulquiorra's place any longer than necessary.

"Kurosaki-kun…?" Ichigo looked up and spotted Ulquiorra's hands tightening, just a bit, on Orihime's shoulders. But he was mindful of her human frame and took care not to hurt her even in his jealousy. "Are you well?" She asked tentatively and Ichigo gave her a reassuring smile.

"I'm fine." He said before glancing at the Quatro. His hollow was hissing that this was dangerous, but he had to know. "Are you okay?" The smile she gave him surprised him. It was genuinely happy in a way he'd rarely seen from her.

"I'm just fine, Kurosaki-kun." She said, lifting a hand to gently grip Ulquiorra's. Grimmjow stood, carrying Kameyo and Ichigo nodded, giving Orihime a final smile before they left. This was all the reassurance he would get about her condition, and for now it was enough.

Rukia was the only one of his friends still unaccounted for. He could only hope that Halibel's fraccion would have something for them soon.

* * *

Several days later.

"Amazing." Byakuya murmured as he pressed a hand against Grimmjow's expanding middle. He was getting larger and the children were most certainly moving around. He could feel the babies kicking and Byakuya could too, from the rapt expression on his face. But there was a shadow in his eyes, a blot on his happiness. Grimmjow tilted his head to one side, wondering what was wrong.

"Hey. Something bothering you?" He asked. They were alone for the day. Renji had taken over Byakuya's duties for today and Ichigo had gone to the Living World. Apparently, this was a very important day for him, the day his mother had died. In the past he'd visited her grave with his family. Now he was going by himself, to mourn not only Masaki, but his father and his sisters. Grimmjow wouldn't have had the heart to refuse him and it hadn't been necessary anyway. Byakuya had needed a day off anyway.

"It is nothing." He said quietly but pulled his hand away. Grimmjow gave him an inquiring look and Byakuya took a breath. "…You are aware that my first wife died in childbirth?" He asked and the Espada blinked.

"No. I'm sorry, I had no idea." It was no wonder he was feeling a bit apprehensive, then. And this would be his first. Grimmjow could remember the sweaty palmed reaction his primary personality had had when his wife had gone into labor for the first time. The old man had faced men with spears and swords trying to kill him and had been less nervous than when his woman was giving birth.

"I wonder how you will be able to… I mean…" He gestured towards the Espada and Grimmjow grinned. He knew what the shinigami was getting at.

"Yeah, these are not birthing hips. Don't worry, Szayel checked me out. He says there's no way in hell I'm giving birth vaginally, so I'm up for a c-section first thing." The Octava and Unohana weren't even going to let him try, which Grimmjow was all in favor of. His body was still built like a man, internal organs aside. "And even with my power compromised, I heal fast. I'll be just fine." He said with assurance. There was almost no chance anything could go wrong. Byakuya looked a bit relieved.

"It's true, Hisana was already unwell. You are quite strong." He murmured and Grimmjow nodded. "If my child is a girl, can we name her Hisana?" He asked and the Espada mulled it over. There was a faint stirring of jealousy but he firmly squashed it. Byakuya's ex-wife was dead and the shinigami was sharing him with Ichigo and possibly Renji. Feeling jealous would be as unfair as it was idiotic.

"Hisana." He tested the name out and nodded. "It's a good name, I like it." That brought something else to mind, though, and Grimmjow hesitated. "…I was wondering. After I have this litter, do you want more?" He asked wistfully. He was honestly expecting the taichou to say no. He'd been forced into this, partly by Aizen and partly by his duty to his clan. And Byakuya liked women. Grimmjow might be sort of a woman, but he was certainly lacking in the boobs and hips departments.

"I would." The quick response surprised him and Byakuya saw that, flashing him a quick smile. The noble was opening up to him more and more as his pregnancy progressed. "Being the only child and heir to a powerful clan could be stressful. Having siblings would mitigate that." He explained and Grimmjow nodded. Even for peasants, an only child had a lot of expectations. It would be much worse for nobles. "And I do find you attractive, Grimmjow-kun."

"You're sure?" Grimmjow asked dubiously. "I'm not very feminine." It didn't seem to bother Ichigo at all and it certainly didn't bother his hollow, but Byakuya had been married before. The shinigami shook his head.

"It's better that way. You do not remind me of her in any way." He said peacefully and Grimmjow blinked. He hadn't thought of that, but it did make sense. He'd seen pictures of Hisana and he was absolutely nothing like her. "And do you want to have more children with me? Kurosaki seems very taken with you." That made Grimmjow grin.

"His hollow, you mean!" Although Ichigo was pretty gone on him too by now, looking forward to his first cubs and enjoying the regular sex. Grimmjow was honestly getting fond of him. He couldn't wait until the cubs were out and they could spar properly again. "Yeah, definitely. I like you a lot. You remind me a little of my wife, back when I was human." The thought made him feel a little wistful, but only a little. It had been a long time ago. Byakuya frowned, slightly offended at the comparison. "Not that you look anything like her," Grimmjow said hastily. No man would appreciate that! "You're just peaceful, the same way she was. She made everything calm and serene, wherever she went." Even when the kids were sick or just feeling ratty, she'd managed to calm them down and get them playing nicely. It had been what attracted the old man to her in the first place. Sure, she'd been pretty, but the sweetness and calm had been even more of an attraction. Byakuya's face smoothed out and he nodded.

"I understand. You're quite the opposite, even now." He said and Grimmjow smiled. That was certainly true, calm was not his thing and it never had been. But he thought that duality would be good for the cub. "Would you like to join me tonight?" He offered his hand and Grimmjow accepted it, letting the shinigami pull him to his feet.

"I would love to." He said sincerely before giving Byakuya a kiss. Sex was a little awkward, now that he was heavy with cub, but they had worked it out. The shinigami noble returned the affection, his hand running through long blue hair. They went to the bedroom hand in hand.

It would be a good night.


	10. The Backdoor

"Hey girls!" Grimmjow looked over the food approvingly. Someone had clearly decided to set them up with a full English tea. Instead of sushi and sashimi, they had little sandwiches, tarts, bars and buns. He loved fish but the occasional sweet assortment was nice too. And the deep black tea, softened with cream, would go perfectly with the sweets. Lifting his gaze from the spread he smiled at the girls around the table. They'd already gotten into the food, picking out their favorites. He would do the same soon, but first he had a few things to say. "So I have some good news, sort of. It's about the Shinigami Men's Association." They all looked at him curiously and Yachiru stopped chewing on her bun. "Szayel told me during my checkup. He was there when some guy named Iba showed up and begged for funding. Szayel used a lot of big words, just like Tosen, but the gist was they're even more useless than we are and won't be getting a clipped copper." All the girls laughed and Grimmjow grinned.

"Is anyone getting funding?" Matsumoto asked and Grimmjow had no idea. Soi-fon did, though.

"Yes, he's funding the calligraphy society, the literacy initiatives and the philosophy society. His own pet projects, essentially." She said and Grimmjow nodded. Not that Tosen's picks were bad, really. From what he'd gotten from Renji the Women's Association really didn't do much useful stuff, not that he would say that to them.

"Well, that's funny but what about the calendar?" Yachiru asked, finishing off her bun and grabbing some tarts. Grimmjow pulled out his pictures.

"Good progress, very good. I've approached a publisher and they're interested in doing it for a cut of the profits." He'd brought Byakuya along for that, figuring that the publisher wouldn't dare try to cheat an ignorant arrancar with a powerful noble along. He'd been right about that, the cut they were asking was quite reasonable. "Take a look." He knew they would like the pictures and grinned as they clustered around, oohing and aahing.

Byakuya's picture was the most tasteful of the lot. He was fully clothed and sitting by the side of the meditation pool. It was a carefully staged picture under the light of the moon, and he was in profile. Truly artistic, lovely and only mildly damaging to his reputation. And if the Kuchiki council of elders dared make anything of it, he could simply blame it all on Grimmjow. Grimmjow wasn't sure he would, though. Byakuya had a lot of pride.

The other pictures quickly went risqué from there. Findorr's picture showed him leaning against the edge of a pool, the water teasingly hiding anything interesting, his six pack on display. His come hither smile was pretty good. Ggio's was amusing as hell. He was lying on his back with Soi-fon giving him a belly rub and offering him a smoked sardine. You could practically hear him purring and her smile was wicked. Abirama was doing a rather athletic pose, showing off his physique. Grimmjow admired it briefly. Abirama was a bit bulkier than his usual taste but not bad.

Nemu had failed to get a picture of Ishida, but Szayel had been delighted by the thought of exposing all the Seireitei to his perfection. The Octava was lying on a bed, on his side, a blanket artistically hiding anything untoward. His chin was propped on his hand and he was smiling seductively at the camera.

"Oh my god! Are we really going to use this?" Matsumoto laughed as Isane hid her eyes, turning red. Soi-fon just stared, her cheeks going rather pink. Grimmjow grinned widely. He knew exactly the picture they'd found.

"There's another one in there if that one's a bit too much." It was Ichigo's hollow. He was wearing a half mask of bone and a wicked grin, lying on the bed, propped up with pillows. A thin blanket was over his hips but that didn't do much good hiding the erection he was sporting… or the fact that his hand was under the blankets, teasing himself. Grimmjow felt his insides tingling at the memory of what had followed right after that picture was taken. It had been _wonderful._ Matsumoto flipped to the next picture and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Ichigo's hollow was still in bed, grinning cockily, but his hands were laced behind his head and his cock was not saluting the camera.

The next picture made Nanao smile in pleasure. It was Kyoraku, an arm around his Cirucci-chan and a bottle of saki in his hand. His clothing was in disarray and Cirucci was trying to escape, which made it all rather humorous. There were a few pictures with him alone as well in various poses. They would have to pick which one to use, but Grimmjow favored the one with Cirucci. It was just too damned funny.

The picture of Renji was a shot of his back, his tattoos on display, with him glancing over his shoulder with a smile. Grimmjow thought he looked great and honestly wondered if he would be interested in something. Of course, the problem with that was Ichigo and his hollow. They were grudgingly accepting Byakuya but adding a third, well…

"These are wonderful! It will be a great calendar!" Yachiru said enthusiastically and Grimmjow grinned before biting into a lemon tart. "We'll have funding! What will we do with it? Do we have any ideas?" She asked before glancing at him, but the Espada just shrugged.

"Got me. Not like we need it for candy." Just to spite the shinigami, Grimmjow had taken to using his chit with Tosen to buy Yachiru candy. The local candy shop clerks were starting to greet him by name. They'd always known Yachiru. "Maybe we should try to do some charity work in the Rukongai. A lot more orphans than usual lately." He observed and the girls winced a little. True, the conflicts were mostly between gangsters and Tosen's forces, but the civilians often got caught in the crossfire.

"Grimm? Are you here?" He looked up in surprise at the muffled voice. "I can't find the door!"

"That's because it's a secret door." He said easily before going to answer that questioning voice. Ichigo was there, looking a touch put out. "What's up?" Grimmjow asked, letting him in. Ichigo blushed a little as he realized he'd intruded on the ladies' meeting.

"I've just come to be with you. Renji shouldn't have left you alone." He said a touch crabbily and Grimmjow grinned.

"Pft! He escorted me here and left me with a half dozen shinigami, including the leader of the Onmitsukido. D'you really think someone'd try for me here?" He said playfully. Even Yachiru could probably hold off an assailant long enough for Ichigo to arrive. With Soi-fon in the room, no one would even get close.

"They have to leave eventually, Grimm. I'm staying with you." Ichigo said firmly before grabbing a cushion and joining them at the table. He helped himself to the tea and a tart and Grimmjow shrugged, going back to his spot. He'd actually been planning to call Kurosaki when the meeting was done and get Soi-fon to stay until he arrived, but this worked too.

What happened next was a girly discussion of various things, mostly how their lives were going with the various arrancar they'd been assigned to. Soi-fon and Nanao didn't have much to say but Rangiku made up for it.

"Oh, he's actually sort of a dear. Not really my taste, I prefer the strong, silent type – " The big breasted woman playfully leered at Ichigo, who choked on his tea. Grimmjow's eyes narrowed and he growled softly. He didn't think she was actually serious, though. "Still, it could be worse. He's quite handsome and good in bed!" She laughed, bouncing a touch. Grimmjow saw Nanao looking away and sighed to himself. She was probably envying her friend's good fortune.

"What's it like living with Starrk? Is that lazy bastard actually managing to stay awake long enough to screw your taichou?" Grimmjow asked Isane, who turned bright red and stammered.

"Grimmjow!" Ichigo punched him in the shoulder and the Espada blinked at him before rubbing the spot. "That was offensive." He said severely and Grimmjow ran over it in his mind.

"I shouldn't have used the word 'screw'?" He hazarded a guess and Soi-fon suddenly laughed. Soon all the girls were laughing, even Yachiru. "Oi, what?" Grimmjow felt completely baffled by this. He hadn't thought he'd said something funny.

"We forget that you arrancar are complete strangers to polite society." Soi-fon said with a smile before sipping her tea. "Have another tart." She advised him and Grimmjow shrugged before taking a lemon tart. They were very good. "What is it like living with Starrk, Isane? Barragan has some unflattering things to say about him." Grimmjow could imagine. One thing Barragan was not was lazy and he had no tolerance for that kind of behavior. The fact that Starrk was stronger than him would make it annoy him even more.

"Oh… he's very nice." She said, her blush receding a bit. "He's very kind and just wants to sleep most of the time. Sometimes he plays chess with Unohana." Grimmjow mentally put Starrk and his consort into the 'boring' folder in his mind. "He did go with us to the opera once." That made the arrancar frown. What was opera? "He fell asleep and started snoring until Lilynette punched him awake."

"Hah! That's Starrk." He said cheerfully. "What's opera though?" He had no clue at all. Ichigo laughed, picking out a sandwich and taking a small bite.

"Ask Byakuya and you'll find out." He advised and Grimmjow flicked his ears thoughtfully. That sounded a bit like a trap but he was very curious. Maybe he would ask.

The meeting wrapped up after that and they all had to say goodbye. Several of the girls stopped to give Nanao hugs before they left. There was an ugly bruise on her left cheek and Grimmjow honestly wished there was something he could do for her. He wasn't stupid enough to think he could take on Yammy, though. Was there anyone who could?

"Not my problem." He muttered to himself. That would be up to Cirucci and Shunsui to figure out, if they could. His main problem was Rukia. Halibel's fraccion would be going to Los Noches tomorrow so he'd be finding out about her soon. "Hey, Ichigo?" He said, remembering that picture in the calendar. The one of his hollow. "Would you be up for some midday sex?" He asked hopefully and the shinigami choked.

"You are horrible!" He said before abruptly pinning the Espada to the wall and attacking his throat. Grimmjow moaned softly at the pleasurable pain. "And the answer is yes." He breathed and Grimmjow shivered a little in anticipation.

"There's something new I want to try. I'll explain it when we get there." He murmured, giving Ichigo a feral love bite. The teen looked at him with smoldering brown eyes. It was so different from the determined glare he'd always used back when they'd been fighting, yet so much the same. He wondered what Ichigo would think of his idea, though.

It didn't take long for him to find out. They went back to his rooms and Grimmjow got a bottle out of the dresser. He'd gotten it just for this activity, from a discreet little shop in the Rukongai. Ichigo was already getting undressed but paused, giving him a curious look.

"What's that for?" He asked and Grimmjow gave him a naughty grin, trying to hide his nervousness. He'd never done this before and he knew it could be painful.

"I was wondering if you might want to try the backdoor." He said casually and Ichigo's eyes widened as he realized what the arrancar was suggesting. "The trick is a lot of lube, and you have to take it slow. So tell that hollow of yours no rough stuff, or I'll have to kill you." He cautioned and Ichigo swallowed.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked hesitantly, his brown eyes uncertain. Grimmjow shrugged.

"I've done it before, but from the other side." It had been a sure fire method of birth control, so he and his wife had done it a few times when a child would have been very inconvenient. So he knew it felt great for a man, but it was definitely tricky for a woman. "I'd like to give it a try."

"Okay." Ichigo sounded a bit breathless, fascinated but also scared. Grimmjow grinned and pulled off his yukata, letting the silky fabric pool on the floor as he slid onto the bed, taking a hands and knees position. His pregnant belly wouldn't be in the way for this, not at all. Ichigo joined him on the bed, taking the lube and spreading it heavily on his fingers.

Grimmjow tried to stay relaxed as those fingers found his entrance. For an arrancar, that portion of the anatomy was generally left unused. They didn't make waste like humans and shinigami did. But it was still a faithful reproduction of the human body, and it wasn't designed to take things in. It felt very strange, as Ichigo's fingers stretched him out and explored inside him.

"So tight…" The teen murmured and Grimmjow glanced over his shoulder to see him swallowing. "Is that enough?" He asked, his voice a bit breathy and the Espada considered it.

"Yeah, should be fine." He did still have some hierro to protect himself. That would probably make a difference. "Nnngh." Grimmjow groaned as Ichigo began easing himself inside, his cock forcing past that tight ring of muscle. The teen was well lubed, which definitely helped but it still felt… weird. A touch uncomfortable. Then Ichigo slid a hand in front and began stimulating his cock, which suddenly made it a whole lot better. "Oh yeah." Grimmjow groaned as he felt his pussy getting wet. Then Ichigo began to move.

The pressure inside him was starting to feel good. Not the same way his vagina did, not even close, but good. Grimmjow moaned softly as Ichigo sped up, taking him a bit harder. Most of the hybrid's weight was on him and his arms were trembling a bit with the effort of holding them both up, but he didn't care. He'd gladly trade that for the hand on his cock, and the other that was tweaking his nipples. He needed that stimulation, needed it desperately. If he was going to cum from this, those sensations were critically important.

"Oh my god Grimm… you're so tight…" Ichigo sounded like he was losing his mind and Grimmjow chuckled harshly before deliberately clenching his muscles around the teen. "Ah! Don't… do that…" He panted and Grimmjow relaxed, wincing slightly at the burn he'd caused himself. Not the smartest idea, tightening those muscles.

"You feel good too…" He said, groaning as Kurosaki kept taking him. This was never going to be his favorite thing, but for now it was working. And it got better when Ichigo let go of his dick, dipping his fingers inside his folds. "AH!" That double penetration was _really_ good and Grimmjow felt his pussy tighten, the heat building inside that said he was close to cumming.

"Not yet…" Ichigo breathed in his ear and Grimmjow whimpered before closing his eyes, moving away from that edge. Kurosaki was enjoying himself and wanted to stretch it out. He'd do his best to comply. Ichigo pulled his fingers away, leaving him feeling bereft. He wanted that sensation back.

His arms were trembling and his body was slicked with sweat when those fingers found his folds again. Grimmjow gasped, as they dove deep inside him, reaching for that elusive spot. Then he screamed as Ichigo's cock filled his ass and the teen's fingers found his g-spot, pressing remorselessly on that sensitive ball of nerves. He bucked like a restive horse, his body going taunt with pleasure as his orgasm rolled over him. Ichigo cried out as the Espada's walls tried to smother him, and after a few quick thrusts he followed, filling the arrancar with his seed.

They stayed joined together for a moment, too exhausted to move. Then Ichigo slowly pulled away and Grimmjow let himself slump down, resting his head on the bed. Cum dripped from his ass, sliding down his thighs, but he didn't care. It was expected really.

"Ow!" He suddenly jerked in surprise as a hand smacked him right on the buttcheek. "What the hell, Kurosaki?" He asked, shocked and a little offended. The teen looked very sheepish.

"Sorry. My hollow just… really wanted to. Sorry." He said feebly and Grimmjow sighed before shaking his head.

"Tell him that just because you rode my ass doesn't mean he can smack it." He said grumpily, but he wasn't really that mad. It was sort of amusing. Turning on his side, he stretched out and smiled as Ichigo joined him, resting a hand on his belly as he did. The kids weren't kicking, but they were feeling active and Grimmjow sighed as he felt them squirming around. "You might want to sleep in your own bed. I'm going to have trouble sleeping." He was sure of that. When the cubs were squirmy, it was always hard for him to sleep. Ichigo shook his head with a smile.

"It's okay. I'd rather stay with you." Ichigo said and Grimmjow met his eyes, surprised. They were warm and tender, loving in a way no hollows ever would be. Warm arms encircled him and the Espada almost purred as he felt the strength there. It felt so good, being held and protected. He knew he was safe, safe with the sire of one of his cubs. "I love you, you know." Ichigo said very quietly and that made Grimmjow go completely still. Love?

He knew what love was like, of course. The old man hadn't married his wife for love, but they'd been a good match and it had gone that way. So he'd experienced love, although it was back in his human days. That warm, comfortable feeling was nothing like the intense ups and downs he'd experienced with Kurosaki. Wanting to kill him had been a kind of passion, though, and transitioning it to the other kind had been easier than he'd expected. What they shared was so intense, but there was tenderness in it too. Did he love the orange haired teen?

"I love you too." He whispered back before nuzzling Ichigo. Yes. This was love. Not the same as the way he felt for Byakuya – that was closer to what he'd felt for his wife, so long ago – but it was love. A more hollow kind of love, full of burning passion and fights for dominance. But that was good. He wanted that, needed it. Those arms tightened around him for a moment before Ichigo nuzzled him back, giving him a love bite on the throat. Marks there were becoming a constant, these days.

Displays of ownership, and Grimmjow wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

Rukia sat in the windowsill, looking out over the ruins of Los Noches.

The sunlight was blinding, painting the sands and towers in a cruel relief. It looked hot out there, burning hot, and despite the promise of pain the tiny shinigami longed for it. She was so cold, so very cold.

Cold. Everything about her 'master' was cold. His wing was kept at a chilly temperature and constantly damp from the swamp gardens he enjoyed. Rukia could admire them and if she'd still been in the Seireitei, she'd have liked visiting and seeing the strange plants, the exotic amphibious hollow-like creatures and the curious bamboo structures. It was a good place to visit. She hated living here.

Rubbing her arms, she turned away from the tempting vista. She was not allowed to leave the Espada's wing. It was a direct order through her collar, so she couldn't disobey. Biting her lip, she wondered if he would come for her today. Rukia honestly couldn't decide if she wanted his presence or dreaded it, and that almost horrified her.

The Espada was rough with her. He hardly bothered with any preliminaries, pinning her down and fucking her as the mood came to him. Fortunately, that wasn't very often. Unfortunately, that was because he was constantly away. Rukia was used to being alone, but not to this degree. She literally saw no one and nothing for weeks on end. There were no numeros, no fraccion. The only other presences she could detect in Los Noches were adjuchas class hollows, waiting to be evaluated and possibly taken to the spiritual plane to have their masks cracked. She didn't want to talk to them but… she would have, if she'd had the chance.

"So alone." Rukia murmured to herself, absently pacing. There were books, but she'd read them all so many times she'd practically memorized them. Then she stopped as she suddenly felt something unfamiliar. Arrancar? And they were in Zommari's wing! For a moment she felt a wild hope but it was quickly tempered with caution. It was unlikely that another arrancar would harm something belonging to an Espada, but it was possible.

"Rukia-chan!" The voice was completely unfamiliar but it was female. It sounded loud and strident and Rukia was completely confused. You couldn't evaluate personality on nothing but voice, of course, but this person sounded like someone Zommari would hate on principle.

"It's san, not chan, you idiot." The next voice was female too but it sounded… prissy. Rukia was irresistibly reminded of one of her etiquette instructors, after she'd joined the Kuchiki clan. "Chan means 'cute' and it's reserved for close relatives and – umph! Get your hands off me, you barbarian!"

"Can you two stop being idiots? We need to get in and out before Zommari finds us." The third voice said and Rukia blinked. Another woman, and this one's voice sounded warm and pleasant. She hesitated a moment before venturing closer. "Rukia-san! Byakuya sent us." That wiped away any hesitation and she practically ran towards the voices.

"Nii-san sent you?" She demanded as she ran through a doorway. The three arrancar gave her a startled look and she saw they were indeed three women. None of them were Espada level but they were far from weak. "How is he? Is he alright?" She asked, anxiety in her voice. Byakuya was strong and he would never submit to an arrancar willingly. What had they done to him?

"He's fine." The arrancar with the warm voice assured her. "I'm Mila Rose, by the way. This is Cyan Sung-Sun and this is Apacci." She pointed to her friends and Cyan nodded, a sleeve against her mouth. Apacci gave her a mocking salute, grinning. "We were sent here by Grimmjow to retrieve some items for him and see how you are." She added and Rukia frowned. That made no sense.

"Grimmjow? Why would he care about me?" She asked. As far as she could see, that Espada could have nothing to do with her and her brother. Apacci laughed as Cyan sighed, and Mila grimaced as she ran a hand through her hair.

"Well… it turns out that _he_ is actually a _she._" She said cautiously and Rukia stared. "Or rather, something in between. Grimmjow kept it quiet because being a woman is just a pain in the ass for hollows, and he looks like a man anyway. He's pregnant with your brother's child right now."

"And Kurosaki's too. Promiscuous cat." Apacci said, then sniggered. Both her companions gave her a disgusted look but Rukia just tried to digest the news.

"What did he do to Nii-san?" She asked, appalled. They must have forced Byakuya to comply. There was no way he would have slept with _Grimmjow,_ of all people!

"Nothing. Your brother is fine." Cyan said and Rukia gave her a look like she was an idiot. The arrancar just gave her a calm, placid look. "Apparently all the logical heirs to the Kuchiki clan were killed. The elders sanctioned the union, so your brother decided he had to provide a new heir."

"…Oh." Rukia muttered. That, she could actually see. Byakuya did have a strong sense of duty and he'd ignored the entreaties to marry again for a very long time. He'd justified it because there were several good, strong clan members in place to succeed him. If they'd been killed… well, that changed things. Still, an Espada… and one that looked like a man? That was beyond peculiar. And the elders had sanctioned it?

"But we're not here for him. We're here for you, and we might not have much time. How has Zommari been treating you?" Mila Rose's eyes ranged over her, looking for any signs of abuse as Rukia bit her lip. "You don't look too bad. A bit thin though."

"The food isn't very good." Rukia said, reminded of the other thing she hated about living here. The food had been better in the Rukongai. All she had here was bread and water. But that really wasn't the worst of it. "And I'm just so alone here." She didn't mean to spill her misery on these arrancar, who had once been her enemies and probably didn't care. But there was no one else and she just needed to talk. "I'm alone here, all alone. There's no one to talk to, nothing to do. I've read all the books…" Tears were filling her eyes and she couldn't help it. "I think I'm going crazy." She almost whispered. The three arrancar exchanged glances.

"Stupid Zommari. Thinking that just because he can live in an empty room for weeks on end, everyone else can." Apacci said as Mila gently patted her on the shoulder. Rukia sniffed, rubbing her eyes, grateful for that small contact.

"He says he's meditating but I think he's just trying to bounce his two brain cells together." Cyan said with a sniff and Rukia couldn't help but smile. That was pretty funny. "Well, we can't stay too long. How often does Zommari show up?" She asked and Rukia shrugged.

"It's pretty random but no more than once a week." She said and the arrancar exchanged a look of disgust. "Sometimes once a month." She'd been tracking the days by putting marks on the wall, so she knew it sometimes took him that long.

"Ugh. We'll try to visit you when we have more time." Mila said then winced as Apacci planted an elbow in her head.

"Oi! What if Zommari catches us? We'll get in trouble for sure!" She demanded and Cyan sighed behind her sleeve.

"He won't dare hurt us, we belong to Halibel. The worst he'll do is forbid us to come into his wing." She said as Mila shoved Apacci off her head, growling threats. "So we'll just have to be cautious. I'm very good at reiatsu sensing, unlike you two." She said with a bit of smugness and the two other girls were distracted from their squall.

"What did you say?!" They both demanded and Rukia's smile widened as she watched them. She never would have thought she would enjoy watching three arrancar girls bicker like children, but it felt almost normal. She'd bickered with Renji and Ichigo exactly the same way. That thought gave her an idea though. She had these three here, if only for a short time.

"Can you tell me what's been happening to Ichigo and Renji?" She interrupted the squabble. "Did you say that Grimmjow is having _Ichigo's_ child?" That was an even greater shock than the Espada bearing her brother a child! Ichigo and the Sexta had always hated each other with a fiery passion, or so she'd thought. And she was quite sure Ichigo had been interested in Orihime.

After that, they spent the better part of an hour catching her up on the gossip. Rukia was very relieved to find out that most of her friends were well, although some of the casualties saddened her. The loss of Juushiro hit her especially hard. The kindly taichou had been a special friend to her for a time. One part, though, was particularly amusing.

"Chad is _such_ a dear. The strong, silent type. He carries all my bags when I go shopping!" Cyan said cheerfully and Apacci snorted as Mila rolled her eyes.

"And if you go shopping anymore, Halibel is going to tear your head off. You went over your allowance three times in a row." Mila Rose said, a hand on her hip. Rukia smiled, amused by the interactions.

"I don't know why you bother with all those fancy kimono and yukata. It's not like you can wear them on duty anyhow." Apacci said and Cyan sniffed.

"There's more to life than duty, Apacci. And Chad loves me in them, I can tell. Toshiro turned absolutely red when he saw me in my new lounging robe! They both have crushes on me, I can tell." She had her back to Mila Rose, who made a 'she's nuts' gesture by her ear. Rukia had to hide a laugh. Apacci didn't try, sniggering loudly. "What's wrong Apacci? A frog in your throat?"

"More like a snake." She said with a grin and Cyan's eyes narrowed. But Mila interrupted before another brawl could happen.

"We really do need to get going, we have duties for Halibel. But we'll try to visit again, and maybe bring one of your friends." The arrancar assured her and Rukia nodded, feeling almost touched. These one-time enemies were going out of their way to help her and it could potentially cause them harm. Not a lot of harm, maybe, but some.

"Thank you." She watched them go before going back to her place at the window. But with their visit fresh in her mind, Rukia had plenty of things to think about. What would a child between Ichigo and the Espada look like? She smiled a little as she realized she was going to be an aunt. What would that child look like? Would it be a boy or a girl?

It was a lot to think about and that would keep her occupied for a while.


	11. Threesome with Two Hot Guys

Grimmjow yawned, adjusting himself as he drank in the sun's rays.

Before he'd come to Soul Society, he'd never have dreamed he would be such a sun worshipper. The shinigami had created an artificial sun over Los Noches that rose and fell every day, to make themselves feel more at home. But it hadn't done anything for him. The sun in Soul Society felt kinder, gentler. It made his bones feel warm, an extremely pleasant sensation. Was the sun here different or was it just that his hierro was less?

Something tickled him and Grimmjow wrinkled his nose, baring his fangs with a sleepy grumble. He was dozing right on the edge of sleep, enjoying the colorful dreams, and he didn't want to wake up. But the tickle came again and he snorted it away before opening his eyes. He blinked, focusing on… what?

"Fucking hell." Grimmjow muttered as he saw the cat toy hanging on the end of a string. The feathers had been tickling his nose. "Did someone drop you on your head as a baby, soul reaper?" He asked as he sat up, glaring at a grinning Renji.

"I just wanted to wake you." He said cheerfully as he dropped the stick, sitting down beside the annoyed Espada. Grimmjow frowned, adjusting his yukata. It was a simple, masculine type, light grey with dark green edging. The belt was a matching green. "I was wondering. I know you have a lot of steady sex, but would you like some more?"

"Huh?" For a moment, Grimmjow was taken aback by that blunt proposition. Renji was staring at him with warmth and a kind of aggressiveness. Grimmjow blinked and wondered if he'd asked someone about how to approach a hollow for intimacy. Honestly, this was pretty sexy. "I'd love to, but we'd have to ask Ichigo first." He said slowly and saw Renji grimace. "Sorry, but… I couldn't hurt him that way." He wasn't even worried about Kurosaki's hollow so much as the teen himself. Ichigo loved him. He'd accepted Byakuya, but just adding Renji without even asking would hurt him cruelly.

"He'll freak." Renji predicted gloomily and Grimmjow scratched his ear. That was pretty likely. "But honestly, I'd love to have a threesome with him. I'm gay." He said with a slight blush and Grimmjow nodded. He wasn't too surprised, really. He'd been getting that vibe from Renji.

"I'll ask him." He decided. This was too interesting an offer to pass up. Although if Ichigo vetoed it, well, he supposed he would get by. Renji would be disappointed but hardly heartbroken. They barely knew each other.

Vaguely, as he hunted down Ichigo, Grimmjow thought about how they would do this. He had a few ideas that turned him on… he finally found the teen working in his room. He was writing on a paper?

"What are you up to?" He asked, looking over his shoulder curiously. Ichigo glanced at him with a smile, then transferred it to Renji for a moment. His friend grinned back.

"Oh, I picked up some teaching texts from Unohana. My ambition in the Living World was to be a doctor." He explained and Grimmjow flicked his ears. It had never occurred to him to wonder what Ichigo had planned to do in the Living World. Or rather, he'd sort of assumed Ichigo was a soldier, just like he had been.

"You'll need to learn kido if you're going to do that here." Renji put in and Ichigo grimaced. Grimmjow laughed. He already knew the kid was a byword for failure at kido.

"Well, we had a proposition for you. How do you feel about a threesome?" He asked with studied casualness and Ichigo's eyes went wide before he shot an accusing look at Renji. The red haired shinigami rubbed the back of his neck, looking a bit sheepish. "He's into us both, not just me, so tell your hollow to calm down." He added, seeing that Ichigo's eyes were bleeding to gold. That was a sure sign that he was pissed. That pulled him back, though, and Ichigo blinked before giving Renji a disbelieving look.

"You're into guys? Really?" He asked wonderingly and Renji shrugged before nodding. "…That explains why you and Rukia never…"

"Rukia? God, Ichigo! We grew up together. Even if I wasn't gay that would feel like incest." He protested and Grimmjow cracked up. Ichigo bit his lip, clearly thinking about it. There was even some debate going on with his hollow, from the way his eyes kept going back and forth.

"…I don't know." Ichigo said quietly and his eyes settled into warm brown as he looked at Grimmjow. "You mean a lot to me, Grimm." There was a quiet pain in his voice and Grimmjow bit his lip before gently cupping his cheek in one big hand.

"I know. That's why I asked." He said quietly, hoping Ichigo would understand. Consideration for others wasn't something that came naturally to him and it never had. His wife had needed to slap him over the head with it a few times. The teen blinked, then smiled slightly.

"That's true. You asked…" Ichigo glanced at Renji again. He was looking uncomfortable at the emotions he'd helped cause. "Yes." He said decisively and Grimmjow grinned as Renji blinked. "I've always been curious about your tattoos. I want to see." He added and Grimmjow laughed.

"You'll get to see everything." He purred before kissing Ichigo and pulling him towards the bed. This was going to be good. He'd make sure of it.

The yukata fell away and Grimmjow glanced down at his belly. He liked the way it looked. Despite his masculine frame, it seemed natural. But it limited his options for this. He'd enjoy being taken by both of them, but his belly would be too much in the way. Well, he would start with Ichigo. Renji could figure out what he was doing as they went on.

The teen was already sitting on the bed and Grimmjow pushed him back a bit before undoing his obi and pulling away the hakama. Grinning wickedly, he explored Ichigo's muscles, enjoying the feel of his rippling abdomen under his hands. He nibbled his way across sensitive thighs, enjoying the way his lover trembled. A hand slid through his hair, gripping the long blue strands as he continued his attentions, teasingly avoiding the main event.

"Ah, Grimmjow, come on!" Ichigo groaned and Grimmjow glanced up, seeing his eyes were a honey gold and glazed with pleasure. Smiling happily at the reaction, he responded by taking the teen in his mouth. The moan that followed was a pleasure to his ears. Then he played his 'making tongue cold' trick and heard Ichigo yelp, his whole body stiffening for a moment as he thrust powerfully into the sudden, wicked sensation. Fortunately, Grimmjow had a hand on his belly to hold him back.

He was so wrapped up in what he was doing that he didn't notice what Renji was up to. He did notice, though, when Ichigo made a startled yelp. Glancing up he blinked, then let go of Kurosaki's cock with a small pop. Was Renji… preparing him? Grimmjow blinked at the startling sight of the redhead behind Ichigo, an arm around his chest and his other hand doing something evil out of sight. The look on Ichi's face though… Grimmjow licked his lips and went back down on his cock.

"You won't regret saying yes, I promise." Renji said and the warm, lustful tone gave Grimmjow an immediate wet spot. This was sexy as hell and the subject of most of his magazines. He heard Ichigo whimper something incoherent and just concentrated on distracting him from the mild pain. "Grimm, straddle his lap." Grimmjow pulled back, breathing heavily and grinned as he saw what Renji intended to do. Cinnamon brown eyes met blue, and he moved up Ichigo's panting, heaving body, gripping his cock and lowering himself onto it just as Renji eased inside.

"Nnnn…" Ichigo moaned, tossing his head back and Grimmjow marveled at how undone he was by this. There was nothing but pleasure there, animal lust. His eyes opened and the sclera were black, the hollow inside rising to the surface. Or merging with him? Grimmjow couldn't be sure. "Oh god move." Ichigo moaned and Renji took the invitation as Grimmjow laughed and began his ride.

Being filled by Kurosaki was a familiar thing, wonderful but familiar. Seeing someone else take him at the same time, though, was beyond anything Grimmjow could ever have dreamed of. Renji was gripping Ichigo's hips, pulling him back as Grimmjow pushed down, matching every motion with a skill an acrobat would envy. From the sounds Ichigo was making, he didn't know if he should move back or try to press forward, tormented on both sides by his two lovers. Grimmjow rested his hands on that hard, sweaty chest and leaned forward, kissing Ichigo as they moved together. Kurosaki groaned and reached up, gripping his hair and taking control of the kiss. The only thing he could control, caught between them like this.

"You are both so sexy…" Renji groaned and Grimmjow glanced over Ichigo's shoulder at him. The ponytail had fallen away, and long red hair was flowing over the pillows. Growling in feral joy at the pleasure, Grimmjow speeded his rhythm, forcing the other two to follow his lead. His insides were feeling wonderful, so heavily filled and tightening with intense pleasure. "Don't cum too soon, arrancar." Renji sounded breathless and Grimmjow sneered.

"I'm… technical female… shinigami… Ever heard of multiple… orgasms…?" He gasped out before groaning as Ichigo hit his g-spot. "Oh FUCK!" It was all getting to be too much. Too much pleasure, too much visual stimulation in front of him. Seeing two men fuck each other as they fucked him… it was a fantasy he'd never imagined could become real.

That thought brought him over the edge, his insides clamping down hard as he screamed, a catlike wail that would have woken the neighbors if it hadn't been for the kido shields around his rooms. Ichigo jerked, his eyes going wide as he felt that tight clutch around his aching member. He gripped Grimmjow's hips, pulling him as tight to himself as he could before he spent himself. Grimmjow could feel the spurts of heat in his core, see the look on Ichigo's face as the intense pleasure rolled over him.

Renji's gasp of pleasure followed a split second later, as Ichigo tightened involuntarily around him. A quick series of powerful thrusts and he came too, finishing the moment with a cry of ecstasy. Grimmjow panted, feeling almost exhausted as he gazed down at his two partners.

"That was… amazing…" Ichigo sounded drugged, lying against Renji in a boneless, exhausted way. Renji laughed as Grimmjow sighed before carefully disengaging himself, pulling away from the limp shinigami. A trail of cum slid down his thigh, oozing from his damp folds, but he didn't care. It felt good, proof of what he'd just experienced.

"You were amazing." Renji murmured into his ear, nuzzling Ichigo's hair as Grimmjow settled down at the foot of the bed, curling up like a very large cat. "Mmm… sec…" Renji lifted Ichigo's hips, making the teen whimper as he gently pulled away. "That gets uncomfortable after a while, take my word for it."

"Mmm." Ichigo mumbled something that might have been agreement as he settled on his side. Renji spooned up beside him before glancing down at Grimmjow with a wicked grin.

"Did you say something about multiple orgasms?" He asked casually as Grimmjow's eyes went wide. Was he serious? Then the shinigami abandoned his place beside Ichigo and Grimmjow finally got a good look at his tattoos. He was a bit stunned to see they were on his cock, too. But then, they'd been created by his zanpakuto. He hadn't needed to actually get needles stuck in there. "Was that just a boast, or can you do it arrancar?" That got his competitive spirit up and Grimmjow narrowed his eyes.

"Try me, shinigami." He growled then yelped as he ended up flat on his back, Renji on top of him. Strong hands spread muscular thighs and the redhead tilted his head as he realized how much the pregnant belly was in the way. "I know a position… it's called the arch." Grimmjow told him. "Grip my thighs and hold me up a bit." This position meant he would have to take most of his own weight on his arms. It required strength, but he had plenty of that. Shoving his arms behind himself, his body made an arch with Renji between his legs, holding his thighs. "Yes, like that." He purred, then groaned in pleasure as a big, thick erection penetrated him. He had no idea how Renji had got it up again so quickly but he wasn't going to complain. It felt excellent.

Neither of them noticed that a head had lifted, and a half-mask of white bone had formed on Ichigo's face. The hollow grinned as he watched, a hand dipping under the blankets to find his neglected member. He was still a little sore from the riding he'd had but that wasn't going to stop him from enjoying himself.

This kind of show didn't happen everyday.

* * *

Soi-fon pushed a few sushi rolls around her plate, surreptitiously watching her lord and master.

They were having a private meal in Barragan's rooms. None of his fraccion were there, which likely meant that sex would not be required. That was something of a relief. She had been born to a very minor house, long time clients of the Shihoin clan. Despite her power, Soi-fon had always anticipated being able to choose her own mate, if she ever decided she wanted one. If she'd actually been born into the Shihoin clan this might have been easier. High nobles often didn't even meet their spouses until the betrothal was announced.

But it was pointless to consider that. Instead, she wondered what Barragan was thinking. He had his face in his hand and looked like he was dozing off, but she knew better. He often appeared to be sleeping, but it was nothing but a façade. He could and would take care of any threat with blinding speed.

Soi-fon glanced around the rooms, wondering a bit, as she always did, about Barragan's taste. The suite was comfortable enough, but almost completely undecorated. The furnishings had all come with the rooms and there was nothing to betray her master's personality. He had hired a painter, though, and they were working on something together. Soi-fon had no idea what. She'd asked, but Barragan had told her that it would be a surprise to everyone.

Finally unable to reign in her curiosity, Soi fon carefully reached out to her collar. She'd discovered she could do this during a meeting, when she'd been dying to find out what was on his mind. She had to be careful not to alert him – he'd noticed during that meeting, and had not been amused – but if she was careful, she could get an idea of what he was thinking and feeling.

This time, she received a confused impression of a world of phantoms and shadows, where surface impressions had to be discarded because they inevitably lied. Blinking, she saw his eyes were just a touch open and he was eyeing her narrowly.

"You disturbed my concentration." He rumbled and her mouth went dry. She bowed her head obediently.

"My apologies, Barragan-sama. I only wish to serve you better." Soi fon said humbly and felt a great relief as he waved it away with a grunt.

"I was going to speak soon anyway. Hmm. I wonder if we have missed something." He said and she blinked, wondering exactly what he meant. "These disturbances… I feel there is something behind them. A pattern is forming, but I cannot see what lies beneath." His tone was almost dreamy as he traced a pattern on the table with his finger. His food and drink were still untouched. "There are several possibilities, but I do not think any of them are likely. So I am left with the unknown."

"What are the possibilities?" She prompted him. She really wanted to hear what was on his mind. Like it or not, Aizen was the Soul King and Tosen was his chosen representative. Soi-fon hadn't always agreed with Central 46 and honesty forced her to admit that the system had been corrupt. The deaths of several taichou and the mass murder of Karakura town had been heinous, but it was done. All she could do now was try to get things back in order.

"The first is that you and your men have missed a plot in Soul Society against us." He rumbled and she tried to keep any reaction out of her expression. She'd been doing nothing but searching for plots against them! "But that would have me assume you are incompetent or disloyal, which is not the case." At least he granted them that! "Another option is that our purges were not thorough enough and some of your men are hiding the conspirators. But I also do not believe that is the case." Another thing to be thankful for. Soi-fon really hadn't needed to get rid of too many of her men, since they tended to share her practical outlook. But there had been a few and she didn't want to add to their numbers. "Perhaps the criminal syndicates in the Rukongai were better organized and more interconnected than we anticipated. But I have read the reports on the violence between factions before Tosen stepped in to bring the Rukongai to heel. Such men might unite against an outsider, but I think it unlikely they could coordinate so well without help." Barragan paused then, looking thoughtful. "One possible enemy is the vasto lorde."

"The vasto lorde?" Soi-fon repeated, surprised. "What do you mean? Didn't Aizen sweep them up?" She'd thought he'd gotten all the vasto lorde in Hueco Mundo under his banner. Barragan snorted at the thought.

"Hah! No. Aizen accounted four vasto lorde in his ranks. Starrk, Halibel, Ulquiorra and myself." Soi-fon noted that he didn't include Yammy in those numbers. Had he been something lower before his mask was shattered? "There were at least a dozen of them living in the mountains before Aizen came to our lands."

"A dozen?" Soi-fon asked, appalled by the revelation. Soul Society had always believed that the super powerful vasto lorde were extremely rare. How could there possibly have been a dozen? Barragan shrugged.

"Hueco Mundo has existed forever and vasto lorde have no natural enemies. They rarely come into conflict with each other and once we break that final barrier our souls become stable. Unless we are exerting ourselves, the hunger for souls drops to nearly nothing." He told her and Soi-fon blinked at that. "Male vasto lorde usually find an adjuchas to mate and busy themselves with cubs. Females will sometimes seek out male vasto lorde, or very powerful adjuchas, for the same purpose. The offspring of such unions are rare but they do exist, and they are more powerful than you can dream."

"Why didn't Aizen recruit them?" Soi-fon asked, fascinated. From what Barragan was saying Aizen's army should have been at least double the strength of what he actually had. The former King of Hueco Mundo shrugged.

"They vanished. Hmm. Fetch me some paper and a pencil." Normally that order would have rankled her, but now she was too interested. Soi-fon quickly went to his desk and got him what he wanted. Barragan took the pencil and began to sketch. "This is Los Noches." He quickly wrote the kanji for it beside the dot on the map. "This is the area I controlled." He drew an irregular blob around the dot. "I tolerated no other Vasto Lorde in my territory, unless they would swear themselves to my court. That was why I sent my minions after Tier Halibel. She was newly turned and they had orders to recruit her or drive her away." He rumbled and Soi-fon nodded her understanding. "But Hueco Mundo is vast. Beyond that…" Barragan drew a series of jagged lines on the side of the map. "The mountains. I lived there for a time, before I decided I wanted to remake my kingdom. That is the home of the Vasto Lorde. But when Aizen went there to recruit them, they were gone."

"All of them?" She asked skeptically and Barragan nodded.

"Every last one. The only one Aizen caught was Starrk. The wolf was so strong he killed any adjuchas he approached, so he did not know about the mountains. Still, he was on his way to finding them when Aizen-kami found him. But he was the last Vasto Lorde that Aizen found." Barragan tapped the map outside his territory, on the other side away from the mountains. "Ulquiorra was found somewhere around here. He was newly evolved, like Halibel. But there were more, far more, and we think they went here." Barragan tapped his map beyond the mountains and wrote the kanji for 'endless wastes'. "Even by our standards, that is a desolate place with very little prey. Not needing to feed makes it possible for the Vasto Lorde to live there, but very little else does. The reishi in the air is so high it becomes almost painful in places."

"Why didn't Aizen go there?" She asked and Barragan grimaced.

"He tried. But the Vasto Lorde were elusive and it was taking too long, so he decided to make do with what he had." Barragan regarded his map thoughtfully. "The Vasto Lorde are a potential enemy. Judging from how they fled before him, they have no love for Aizen-kami. But I cannot see why they would act now, or in this way."

"Hm." Soi-fon thought about their problems for a moment. "If one of them was like you, they could do it." She said slowly. The thugs in the Rukongai respected strength and she could see them following a great and powerful hollow without any qualms. But… "Still, it does seem unlikely." Why would someone that clever and powerful act now? Barragan was right, it made no sense. He grunted.

"That leaves the unknown, and that is where you come in." He rumbled and Soi-fon looked at him questioningly. "What enemies does Soul Society have? Is this a plot against Aizen-kami, or is it a plot against all of you? I do not know the history of your people well. Enlighten me, woman. What enemies do you have?" Soi-fon grimaced, her thoughts going back to the Bounts. Barragan had a point.

"There are many possibilities. Central 46 was often very ruthless with their rulings." Soi-fon said slowly. Enemies had certainly come back to haunt them before. "I will look into it and bring you a list of suspects." That was clearly what he wanted. Barragan nodded.

"Good. In the meantime, I will practice." He rumbled before reaching for his food, finally sampling the plate of sushi. Soi-fon wondered about that. Barragan was practicing hard, seemingly dissatisfied with his level of power. But he was the Segunda Espada. How much stronger did he think he could become?

She would have to wait and see.

* * *

"Oh god, take them! For fuck's sake, I feel dirty just touching this!" Apacci almost wailed as she shoved the box at him. Grimmjow grinned wickedly as he saw how embarrassed Mila Rose looked and how Cyan seemed to be trying desperately not to laugh.

"I told you not to look in the box. You deserve what you got if you looked in the box." He said cheerfully before setting it down on the table. He was having an early morning breakfast with Renji, Ichigo and Byakuya. There was a massive time difference between Hueco Mundo and Soul Society, so Halibel's fraccion had arrived at an odd time. "RENJI!" He made a grab but didn't manage to stop the shinigami from snagging the box and flipping it open curiously.

"…What are those?" A very innocent Ichigo inquired as Renji stared and Byakuya covered his eyes. Grimmjow cursed and grabbed the box, slamming it shut. "Hey, why is my hollow laughing?" He asked crossly and Grimmjow sighed.

"He saw me use one, he damned well knows what they are. Nevermind, we can discuss it later. What did you girls find out?" He asked the fraccion and Apacci scowled as Mila Rose answered.

"Zommari isn't treating her too well. He's not starving her per se, but he seems to be ignorant of basic nutrition." She said and Apacci made an exaggerated expression of disgust. "He's not being deliberately cruel but his intimate attentions lack any kind of skill, and he's leaving her alone for weeks on end, without any arrancar or even adjuchas for company. We promised to come back as soon as we could." She said and Grimmjow could tell Rukia's plight had affected the three.

"We're going to get her papers and art supplies. She said she loves to draw." Cyan said and Grimmjow glanced over as Ichigo made a small choking sound. Something about that was funny?

"We need to be careful Zommari doesn't catch us, though, or he'll tell us to fuck off. He hates my guts." Apacci said, cleaning out her ear with one finger.

"I can't imagine why." Grimmjow said rhetorically. Zommari loved silence and seclusion. The noisy bickering of Halibel's fraccion would drive him up the wall, and Apacci in particular would make him want to commit homicide. "Well, thanks girls. I wish it was better news but it's about what I'd expected." He was just glad that Zommari clearly didn't know that Rukia was Byakuya's sister. He could be a vindictive bastard and Grimmjow didn't doubt he'd take his humiliating defeat out on Rukia if he knew.

"Yes, thank you. Would you like some tea?" Byakuya asked but the three arrancar declined.

"Thanks but we have to get back to our duties. Stupid time difference… see you all later!" Apacci waved and the fraccion quickly vanished, going back to Halibel's lair. Grimmjow glanced around the table to see Ichigo looking into his tea, quietly depressed. Renji was looking at him imploringly as Byakuya sipped his tea, his eyes remote.

"Is there anything you can do Grimm?" Ichigo asked quietly, lifting his gaze from his tea. The pain in those brown eyes hurt him and he wanted to make it go away. Grimmjow took a deep breath as he tried to think. Was there anything he could do?

"I'm not sure. I'll have to think about it." He said honestly. "Maybe… Maybe you could go to Tosen about this?" He said to Byakuya, who frowned. "I mean, the whole point of this is that we're trying to breed. If Zommari's not giving her the food she needs and stressing her out, it'll never happen. Maybe you could get him to intervene." It was possible he might, if Zommari was accidentally sabotaging Aizen's pet project. From the startled look on Byakuya's face, he hadn't thought of that.

"That is a good idea. Thank you, Grimmjow-san. I will look into it." He said after a thoughtful pause and Grimmjow smiled, feeling warmed.

It might not be much, but he'd done something to help his mates.


	12. Hisana and Tigre

Shunsui stiffened as he felt pain through his collar.

He wasn't sure if it had been Aizen's intention or not, but he was becoming more and more in tune with Cirucci's feelings. He knew when she was angry, irritated – a common occurrence – or happy. And most of all, he sensed her pain. But there was no tug on the collar, no demand for his presence, so he hesitated. If Cirucci was in pain but not asking for him than it was a sure thing that Yammy was inflicting it. And yet…

Sighing to himself, Kyoraku pushed back his hat and went to find Cirucci. He might be able to talk Yammy down. It worked sometimes, but not very often.

He was angered by the scene he found, but he managed to keep a tight rein on the feeling. Righteous anger would only fuel Yammy's rage. The big idiot was in his resurrection, but fortunately only at the lowest level of power. He was still ruining the tiled floor and his grip on Cirucci's body was compressing the Privaron Espada. Nanao was huddled in a corner, her head in her arms as she sobbed.

"Llargo-sama. Please let go of Cirucci-chan." Shunsui said in his calmest, most soothing tone. Yammy's grip tightened as he growled and Cirucci coughed up a mouthful of blood before baring her teeth in a feral snarl. Even in the midst of pain, knowing she was completely outmatched, she wasn't backing down. Shunsui admired her spirit but not her insanity. "Yammy. Aizen-kami will be displeased if you kill one of the few female arrancar." That was the main trump card he had in situations like this. Powerful male arrancar were quite common, but powerful females were essentially limited to three. Grimmjow, Halibel and Cirucci. Halibel's fraccion were strong and could face Cirucci as a group, but taken individually she would destroy them.

Yammy might be stupid, but he did have a healthy dread of Aizen. He finally growled and threw Cirucci at him. Shunsui had to react quickly to catch her without hurting her further. The wounded arrancar gasped, gripping his arms as Yammy sealed his power. Kyoraku was thankful for that. An out of control Espada in their released form was something to be feared.

"Tell that bitch to keep her nose in her own business." He threatened before storming out. Shunsui gently set Cirucci on the ground and she groaned, a hand pressed against her side. A quick check with his kido confirmed that she had broken ribs and internal injuries. He wasn't a master of healing like Unohana but he did have a few tricks and devoted himself to mending the worst of it. When he was done, Cirucci sat up with a pained grunt.

"What happened?" He asked gazing around the room. It was a disaster. A table had been smashed into pieces, potted plants overturned and a priceless heirloom painting had been ripped from the wall. None of that mattered, though, compared to the sight of his poor Nanao-chan cowering in the corner.

"I told that fuckwit that he needs to stop beating on a pregnant woman." Cirucci rasped out and Shunsui froze for a moment before staring at Nanao. She whimpered softly.

"I don't want it, I don't want it, I don't…" She repeated to herself and Shunsui felt his heart breaking. Taking her into his arms he whispered soothing nothings in her ears and she clung to him, hiding her head against his kimono with a sob. Cirucci sat back against the wall, breathing shallowly.

"Oh, my Nanao-chan." Shunsui whispered, not caring if Cirucci heard. Female jealousy didn't matter now. All that mattered was comforting his fukutaichou and he concentrated on that, patting her hair and wrapping in the comforting feeling of his reiatsu.

"Ah, girl, this isn't that bad." Cirucci said after Nanao had calmed a little, her sobs dying down. The shinigami looked up and shook her head, fresh tears rising in her eyes. "Really it's not. That asshole will have to stop beating on you so much if he wants the child to live. Of course, he's likely to take it out on me but I'll survive." She sounded bitter and angry. "It's hardly the first time." She said and Shunsui was reminded that Privaron Espada were playthings for the Espada, just like the numeros.

"B-But what if the child is like him? What if he or she looks d-down on me because I'm his b-bitch?" Nanao's voice broke into a sob on the last word and Shunsui's arms tightened around her. Yammy used those cruel words to refer to both Nanao and Cirucci-chan. Sanderwicci scowled.

"Then we'll slap the little bastard into the next century." She said firmly and Nanao goggled as Shunsui blinked at her idea of parenting. "Yammy won't give a shit. Him, raising a kid? Don't make me laugh. It's going to be up to us."

"She does have a point, Nanao-chan. And this child will be half of you. I can't believe it will be anything like him." Shunsui said comfortingly and Nanao sniffed, reaching behind her glasses to rub her eyes. Cirucci pushed herself to her feet and walked unsteadily towards a wall. She squatted down and began picking things off the floor before bringing them back.

"Want some candies?" She offered them to Nanao, who took them with a watery laugh. Shunsui smiled at the incongruity. A Privaron Espada was offering his Nanao-chan candied adzuki beans that she'd rescued from the floor. Surely the world had gone mad. Nanao crunched the sweet beans, finding some solace in the little candies as she let her taichou hold her.

It was all insane, but they would just have to make the best of this change.

* * *

"Starrk-sama, please get up." Unohana smiled as she heard the pleading and slightly desperate voice. "Starrk-sama?"

"You're being too polite. Oi! Starrk!" There was a loud thump followed by a yelp of pain. "See? That's how you wake him up."

"I… I really cannot do that Lilynette-sama…" Unohana turned a corner and her smile widened as she beheld the scene. Gantenbainne was unofficially Starrk's fraccion these days, because he was living with her clan along with Isane. So it was his duty to rouse Starrk for meetings and other things, a duty he had considerable trouble with. The physical force needed to wake Starrk was a bit much for any Privaron Espada to contemplate using against the Primera. Lilynette had no such problems and Starrk was gagging a bit from where she'd shoved her fingers down his throat.

"Oh, what is it now Lilynette?" Starrk said groggily then winced as she kicked him. Her shoes were thick, heavy and just perfect for well-placed kicks.

"We're going to brunch with Unohana, remember? Come on, move!" Lilynette threatened to kick him again and Starrk finally got moving, stumbling towards the shower. Unohana's smile widened as she watched. Theoretically, they were already late. In actuality she had made the reservation for an hour later than the time she'd given to Starrk and his fraccion. She was getting a good grip on how to handle them, these days.

"Lazy bastard. I was up an hour ago!" Lilynette groused and Unohana was pleased to see the clothes she was wearing. Her uniform had always made the taichou wince, with how much skin it showed. She wouldn't have minded if Lilynette was older, but she appeared to be just a child. That made her clothing even more unfortunate.

Now, though, she was wearing a light green and pink yukata. It had been designed for her, the pink matching her eye and the green matching her hair. When Starrk stumbled out of the shower Unohana had his clothing ready for him. It was a dark brown yukata with a design of wavy white lines and it suited him well. It also made the two arrancar a touch more approachable to the inhabitants of the Seireitei. They would never be entirely at ease with hollows, of course, but normal clothing indicated that the arrancar were off duty.

"Thank you." Starrk said graciously as he wrapped himself in his yukata. Unohana watched him dress, admiring the view. He really was a very handsome man. "I'm sorry, we're late again." He sounded very apologetic and she was tempted to explain her little ruse about the time. But then he might be even harder to wake and that just wouldn't do.

"It's nothing to worry about, the restaurant is flexible." She said instead and they headed off. The place they were having brunch was a tiny, intimate little bistro. They specialized in game meats and they served an absolutely wonderful Sunday brunch. They arrived almost perfectly on time and were immediately ushered to their little table. Some of the conversations stopped as the patrons spotted the two arrancar, and at least one couple quickly left. But everyone else just went back to what they were doing.

"So have you been doing anything interesting at the Fourth?" Lilynette asked as she tore into the complimentary breadbasket. Starrk didn't bother with it and Unohana took a small roll, breaking it in half and buttering it. "Save any lives, deliver any babies?" She sounded hopeful and the taichou smiled. She knew what the girl was referring to.

"It will be a bit longer before Grimmjow has his twins." She said gently and Lilynette sighed. She was very impatient to see the first true hybrids. "And even longer before we see my own." She said demurely, as if she wasn't dropping a bombshell in the middle of the table. Their reactions did not disappoint.

"Really?!" Lilynette gasped, her light pink eye wide. Starrk was stuck with a piece of bread in his mouth, looking like he'd just been turned to stone. "Unohana!" She hugged the taichou impulsively and Unohana laughed, hugging the child. "That's wonderful news!"

"Yes, it is." She said fondly. She was honestly looking forward to her child now. She'd had a lover when she was young, a man she'd been deeply in love with. But he'd died a very long time ago. It was more than time to go on and she found she was ready for this new chapter in her life, forced by Aizen or not.

"Are you having twins like Grimmjow? Do you know if it's boys or girls?" Lilynette demanded eagerly and Unohana shook her head with a smile.

"It's too early to know anything besides the fact that I am pregnant and the reiatsu seems to be healthy." It was still very early. Lilynette looked a little downcast and Unohana decided to reassure her. "But wolves only have a two month gestation, so I should know soon." A bit too soon for her liking. That aspect of the pregnancy still worried her, since she would be the first shinigami to bear a hybrid. But there was nothing to do but trust in Isane and Szayel. She didn't like the arrancar anymore than she'd liked Mayuri, but he was competent in his sphere.

"Oh, well, I can't wait to know! Hey Starrk, say something!" Lilynette demanded but the Primera just stared into space. "Oi, Starrk!" A well placed kick made him yelp and drop his bread. "What, did she break your brain or something?"

"Lilynette." Starrk said reproachfully as he rubbed his leg. His other half just snorted at him. "I just… never thought it would really work. I never thought I would have children." He confessed and Unohana could sense the aching loneliness in his voice. She'd learned enough about their past to know that being alone was the greatest fear for them both. "Thank you." He said humbly. Blue eyes met blue-grey and Unohana reached out to take his head. Starrk smiled, giving her a gentle squeeze. "I'm sure the child will be beautiful."

"All babies are beautiful. Oh, food!" Lilynette was neatly distracted by the arrival of brunch. Although nothing could keep her mind away from the child for long and they were soon bombarded with her ideas for baby names. Unohana listened, smiling to herself.

She really was becoming very fond of the two of them.

* * *

"Grimmjow?" Tosen looked at Barragan inquiringly. "Are you certain?" He asked, politely skeptical. The old Espada did not take any offense. He knew it sounded outlandish.

"Yes." He rumbled. Tosen had come to him with the idea that a few arrancar could be used to train the young shinigami in how to destroy hollows. He wanted to begin the process of fostering cooperation between the two groups, and the youngsters at the academy might be less resistant than most. There was also the fact that casualties had been rather high of late. A few of the academy instructors had been killed in the first occupation and the replacements were not as good. "He is a good teacher. I have watched him with his fraccion… there is a reason he was so certain they would defeat the shinigami, when he led them to the Living World. He had honed their skills." His confidence had been misplaced, but he hadn't known about the 'seals' the shinigami were wearing. If he had, Grimmjow would have had a more accurate read of their power. Tosen frowned, reminded of how disobedient the Quinta could be. "He says that when he lived he was something called a _centurion_, whatever that is."

"A centurion?" Tosen didn't know the term either, but he was not highly educated on the history of the Living World. Soul Society was his concern. "Well, perhaps. He is not useful for anything else just now." He didn't like Grimmjow, but having his might completely removed from use was annoying. Tosen was glad that shinigami and arrancar both had terrible fertility rates. The only one using artificial aides was Unohana, who could perform her duties even while pregnant. "As long as he is not damaged." Personally, Tosen would be glad to see the last of Grimmjow, but Kami's orders had been quite specific. And the children were innocents. Barragan waved away the concern.

"Even weakened, those children could not hope to injure him. And even if Kurosaki was not there, no arrancar would be bold enough to kill him in front of the entire academy." He said and Tosen nodded thoughtfully. "For the other class, you might send Gantennbaine. He is not as good a teacher as Grimmjow but very even tempered. Another option would be Tesra. He could use a distraction from his idol's death. I am not sure about his skill as an instructor, however."

"Tesra might be better if he has any teaching ability. Can you have some of your minions look into it?" Tosen asked and Barragan nodded. Delegation was not really his nature, but Tosen had learned, painfully, that it was vital. There was too much to be done and he had some very capable subordinates.

He needed to use them. And if Grimmjow had a use, he should be put to work as well.

* * *

"Okay then." Grimmjow looked over his clothing approvingly. Instead of his usual yukata, he was wearing a modified version of his arrancar uniform. The jacket was the same as always but the hakama had been tailored for his pregnancy. He wore no shoes. They wouldn't have fit on his paw-like feet. Running a hand over his belly he smiled as one of the cubs twitched.

They'd gotten an ultrasound and the results had been interesting. He was having a boy and a girl. The girl favored his resurrection, with a kitty tail and legs that seemed to be feline in nature. The boy seemed to be completely humanoid, nothing physically different from any shinigami. It was a bit speculative, but Szayel was of the opinion that the girl belonged to Byakuya and the boy to Ichigo. They would know for certain after the cubs were born.

Pulling his mind away from that pleasant thought, Grimmjow left the Kuchiki manor with confidence in his heart and a spring in his step. Training youngsters was something he'd done a hundred times before as a living man and it would give him something useful to do. Being on the shelf was fun in a way, but it got old quickly.

Ichigo came with him, of course. The academy was probably safe but they weren't taking any chances. It didn't take long before Grimmjow was in front of his training class in an outdoor arena.

He was rather amused. They were a callow lot of youngsters, hardly better than children, and mostly scared to death of him. Practically identical to the kids he'd trained as a living man. When he'd walked out in front of them in his full kit, including his insignia's of rank, they'd been ready to piss themselves too.

"Come to order, recruits!" He barked, not caring if that wasn't exactly the right way to put it. A few of them had been whispering but they stopped, petrified. "I am here to teach you how to fight hollows. I don't care if you're shinigami or arrancar. When I'm done, you'll know how to fight." That was an edit from his Living World days. Then he'd have said catamites or ethiopes, but times changed. "Any questions?" That was another change. With those long ago recruits, he'd just gone straight into the work. But these children might have some questions that deserved answering. There was a bit of shifting and murmuring before one of the bolder ones spoke up.

"Why are you doing this? Why would a hollow teach us to hunt hollows?" The speaker was a girl with black hair, pulled into a braid. Grimmjow laughed.

"You think I would feel kinship with them, those little maggots that haunt the Living World? Fuck them!" His sneer was magnificent. "You want to know my take on things?" He waited to see a few nods and murmurs before continuing. "Becoming a powerful hollow is a series of challenges. For us, YOU are the first challenge!" He started to pace slowly in front of them, his tail twitching. This felt like the harangues he'd given many, many times before. "You are shinigami. It's your job to purify all the souls you can and make sure only the best make it to Hueco Mundo. The sands have no patience for weaklings and neither do I. So I'll teach you and you'll do your job well. Right?!" He barked the word and there was a ragged chorus of yes's. "I can't hear you!"

"Yes Jaegerjaquez-sama!" Came the ragged answer. Some of them used Grimmjow-sama instead, no doubt confused about arrancar naming conventions. It was all the same to him anyway.

"Good. Now I'll start by showing you the powers of a hollow." These were things they had no doubt only read about in books, unless they'd gotten unlucky during the victory. "This is a cero." Grimmjow made a small cero and released it at a training dummy, easily obliterating it. There was a protective shield over the training grounds so he wasn't worried about the energies escaping. "Mind you, that was a shitty cero. About Gillian level, which is the hardest thing you should be taking on anyway." He added. "This is bala." He demonstrated the faster, weaker version of cero. "Sonido." He demonstrated the arrancar version of flashstep and saw them blink at the characteristic bang. "There's also pesquina, but that's supportive." It was nothing the shinigami could see. A girl was waving her hand. "Yes? You have a question?"

"Things like sonido and bala, aren't they only used by arrancar?" She asked and Grimmjow hesitated. That was actually a pretty good question.

"No, not really. Aizen and his buddies just gave them names. But adjuchas and vasto lorde have been using them forever, without even thinking about it." He chuckled softly at the memory. "The first time I met my fraccion, I owned them with my sonido." They hadn't been ready for his speed at all. "Now, let's get down to business."

He started off by testing their skills, taking on three of the best students at once. It was disappointing. They weren't too bad individually, but taken as a unit…

"You're fighting like barbarians." He informed them and two of them looked astonished while the third looked insulted. "As individuals, even in a group." He clarified. Grimmjow enjoyed fighting individually, it was absolutely awesome, but when you actually had buddies with you it was a great way to get killed and fuck up your friends.

"It's the honorable way to fight." The insulted one said stiffly and Grimmjow laughed.

"Honor? Against hollows?" He said mockingly and the boy scowled. "Save that shit for opponents worthy of the honor." That made the resistance lessen and he saw the kid frown as he thought about it. "The hollows in the Living World are just mad, corrupted souls. Your job is to purify them. If you die, you've done a shitty job. Honor has no part in it. Now, let's work on this." He put the kids into groups and began drilling them on the art of working together.

"That was well done." Tosen accosted him after the lesson, to his surprise. Grimmjow flicked his ears as he realized the shinigami must have been watching from the shadows. The blind bastard was good at concealing his reiatsu and Grimmjow had had plenty of immature signatures and a completely out of control Ichigo to mess up his senses. Speaking of which… he could sense Kurosaki's dislike through the collar. It was a feeling he completely agreed with. "I was surprised to see you teaching teamwork so well, given that you never practiced it yourself."

"Hoi!" Grimmjow scowled, although Tosen had a point. "I taught my fraccion to work together, but the bastards just slowed me down. Teamwork only works when everyone is about the same level." He said grumpily and the shinigami nodded.

"True. Well, Grimmjow, I think you will be coming here regularly. Please try to keep your temper under control." Tosen said and Grimmjow managed to keep from snarling at him. He couldn't stop his tail from bristling, though. Tosen pretended not to notice and Grimmjow stuck his tongue out at the departing shinigami's back.

"You really don't like him at all, do you?" Ichigo asked and Grimmjow flicked him a glance.

"He's the one who cut off my arm." He said shortly and Ichigo frowned. "For disobeying orders and getting my fraccion killed." He honestly didn't regret that. They'd been a pack of bastards, the kind of men who would have been bandits and pirates, when he was a living man. He did feel a bit of regret at himself. His strategy had sucked balls and his old officers would have whipped him for it.

"Oh. You weren't supposed to attack me?" He asked and Grimmjow nodded.

"Yeah, I was just looking for a good fight." He knew it was a bit more complicated than that, though. The fight had been great, but being disobedient had been its own point, a kind of statement. He'd volunteered for the army, so long ago, and he'd given it everything he had. But Grimmjow hadn't volunteered for being an arrancar, hadn't really agreed to be Aizen's lackey. It had been stupid and self-defeating, but messing with Aizen had been a point of pride. "Bah." That time was over. Aizen was kami now and he had cubs on the way. Disobedience was not an option. "Hey, I'm hungry. Want to go to that café in the Seireitei, the one that serves those little egg cakes?" He said hopefully. The egg cakes were absolutely delicious, filled with various mixtures. The one he was craving was their spicy beef flavor, so hot it could almost make him cry. Ichigo laughed, putting an arm around him for a moment.

"Sure, let's go feed the kids." He said, nuzzling Grimmjow affectionately. The Espada returned the gesture, very pleased. Ichigo knew how hollows showed affection and it just felt right, being touched by his mate like this. He wondered if it would still be like this after he kitted. If not, they would just have to have some more cubs. Grimmjow smiled at the thought as they left for the café.

He certainly wouldn't mind more children in his life.

* * *

The birth was a bit anticlimactic.

There was no freaking out, no sweaty palmed moments when he went into labor. Just an appointment with Szayel and Unohana. Since he wasn't giving birth naturally, they saw no reason to wait for his labor and possibly risk complications. So at the right time, Ichigo and Byakuya both brought him to the 4th. Szayel was already there, with all his surgical expertise and equipment. Children weren't really his thing but Grimmjow was sure he'd be more than competent.

Children were most definitely Unohana's thing and the Quinta Espada felt like he was in good hands as he was given an injection for the pain. Ichigo held his right hand, and Byakuya held his left as they cleaned his belly. Grimmjow didn't much need the comfort, but his mates did and he smiled at them before feeling a tug on his navel. Very curious, he lifted his head in an attempt to see what was going on. The thought that he would likely see his insides didn't bother him a bit. He was still an Espada, he'd seen plenty of insides in his day.

"Grimmjow, while your curiosity is commendable, if you don't stop twitching I will have to give you a muscle relaxant." Szayel sounded irritated and Grimmjow winced before setting his head back down.

"Sorry." They were trying to avoid that. The only effective muscle relaxant they had would lay him out for hours, and full sedation would be even worse. He wanted to see his children immediately. Trying to focus on tranquility, he started counting the ceiling tiles. The cubs would be with him soon.

It didn't take very long before there was a loud cry and only Byakuya's hand on his shoulder kept him from bolting upright. Grimmjow whimpered in frustration as the cub was cleaned, weighed and measured. Ichigo left his side to get the cub, bringing the baby to him as they went after the second.

"Aw." Grimmjow just looked at his first born offspring, feeling amazed and deeply touched. Ichigo was beaming, as well he should. There was no doubt about the cub's paternity. "He got your hair." The human-looking boy belonged to Ichigo. He was still wet and cranky from the birth, but gradually calming. Blue eyes met blue eyes and Grimmjow reached up to gently run a finger over a tiny cheek. "Kurosaki Tigre."

"He's perfect." Ichigo whispered before gently pressing a kiss on that little head. Then there was a second, offended squall and Grimmjow watched as Byakuya left his side. There was more fussing over his second offspring, but the girl was at his side quickly enough. Grimmjow smiled as he saw her.

"We definitely don't need any blood tests for these two!" He teased gently. The little girl looked a bit like his released form, with furry, cat like legs that ended in paws. The fur was all black, though, and her eyes were a soft grey rather than the blue Grimmjow usually associated with childbirth. Her stubby little cat tail lashed unhappily before she cried again and Grimmjow held out an arm for her. When she was nestled against his side she calmed, looking at him curiously. "Kuchiki Hisana." He ignored it as Szayel and Unohana took care of putting him back together. His natural healing factors would take care of any lingering pain in a few days but the help was always welcome.

"They are both beautiful." Byakuya said, smiling as he stroked his daughter's hair. Her ears twitched a bit at his touch. They were on the sides of her head, just like a shinigami's but furred and flexible.

Soon the cubs were hungry and they all experienced a moment of apprehension as they realized Grimmjow couldn't feed them. His masculine body was declining to produce any milk. But Unohana had a solution, or thought she did.

"Try this, Grimmjow-kun." She smiled as she handed him a bottle and he gave her an inquiring look. "It's breast milk. We often practice wet nursing here." She explained and he blinked at the concept. Another woman's milk? But it would probably feed the cubs.

That turned out to be not the case. After a few sucks, Tigre rejected the bottle and began crying. Hisana was the same. That made Szayel bring out the formulas, scientific concoctions he'd come up with or stolen from the Living World. They were rejected even more quickly than the breast milk. Hisana wouldn't even try them and Grimmjow was beginning to experience a bit of panic.

"What the hell are we going to do if we can't feed them?!" He demanded, his voice rough with anger and fear as he tried to comfort the crying, hungry babies. Ichigo took Tigre, gently cuddling him as Byakuya stroked Hisana's hair and murmured to her.

"Calm down Grimmjow. We'll figure this out." Szayel said and Grimmjow glowered at him. It wasn't his babies who might starve to death! "Hmm… hollow reproduction…" Szayel thought for a moment as Unohana gently examined the babies with kido. "Oh, of course!" He quickly grabbed the first bottle, the one with warm breast milk. "Grimmjow, infuse the milk with your reiatsu."

"Huh?" Grimmjow hesitated before taking the bottle and obeying. He immediately felt hopeful as he realized what Szayel's idea was. It was true, any hollow cub would take a strong dose of reiatsu when they fed. They needed it in order to grow quickly. He offered Hisana the bottle and she latched on hungrily. The quiet sounds of a baby feeding filled the air and Grimmjow breathed a deep sigh of relief. Tigre was still squalling, though.

"Here, you try it." Szayel gave Ichigo a bottle of the formula. He took it with a rather apprehensive look.

"I really don't think – " Byakuya started but it was too late. Ichigo's attempt at a reiatsu infusion went wildly out of control and the bottle promptly exploded. Ichigo yelped as he was coated in goo and Tigre stopped crying, eyes comically wide. Grimmjow snorted a laugh as Byakuya wiped a bit of infant formula off his forehead, giving Kurosaki a severe look.

"Oh dear." Unohana was clearly holding back a laugh, and she passed another bottle to Grimmjow. "Perhaps you should handle this."

"Ya think?" He said, amused, and quickly infused it with his reiatsu before handing it to Ichigo. With the reiatsu infusion in the formula, Tigre took to it readily. "Will they take anyone's reiatsu?"

After several experiments with the bottles, they determined that the cubs would not take reiatsu from Unohana or Szayel. Hisana would take it from Byakuya or Grimmjow, but Tigre would not take Byakuya's. They couldn't find out if both cubs would take Ichigo's but Grimmjow was sure they wouldn't.

"They'll only take reiatsu from the sire or dam. Huh. Real hollow cubs aren't that picky." Grimmjow mused as he gently burped Hisana, holding the sleepy infant with the ease of long practice. Actual hollow cubs would take any sustenance they could find, not surprising given the chance of being orphaned. Apparently, the shinigami influence made a difference. He saw Byakuya twitch slightly and smiled. "Do you want to hold her?"

"If you don't mind." He said and Grimmjow handed the child over, taking the boy from Kurosaki. Tigre immediately curled up on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. "Hisana." Grimmjow looked up at that murmur and saw a suspicious bit of wetness in his mate's eyes. Then he felt Ichigo's hand on his shoulder and glanced towards him, smiling as the hybrid kissed him gently on the cheek.

"While this is all very touching, we need to address a few things." Grimmjow grimaced and turned his attention to Szayel. The other Espada was no doubt correct but it was annoying. "You will need to stay here for at least two days to give time for your wounds to heal. You should be up to almost full strength by then as well." Almost because the cubs would continue to drain his strength in the form of infusions. But he could compensate for that with a lot of reishi pills. His hierro and speed would quickly go back to normal levels. "The need for reishi infusions poses a complication. Infusions into objects only last for a few hours at the most. I'll need to see if we can find a way to extend it, but until then you will have to remain on parental leave." He said firmly and Unohana nodded before summoning a hell butterfly. She sent it to Tosen with a succinct rundown of events as Grimmjow nodded, resigned.

"Makes sense." Of course, now that he wasn't helpless Tosen could make use of Ichigo, if he was willing to trust him. The Quinta Espada wasn't sure that would ever happen but it was possible.

"The other thing we need to address is hollow instincts." Szayel said and Grimmjow blinked at him. "He's been nesting, I'm sure you've observed that." Grimmjow grimaced as Ichigo laughed and Byakuya smiled. It was true, his bedroom was becoming a shrine to his fabrics of choice. It was a very plush nest. "He could easily become nest bound. That would be very safe for the children but inconvenient for the rest of us, so I would suggest avoiding it. Drag him out and force him to socialize at least once every two days."

"Oi! Do you think I'm a slave to my instincts?" Grimmjow demanded and Szayel gave him a pitying look. "…Fine, I am. Jerk." He muttered as Ichigo laughed again and even Byakuya chuckled. Unohana smiled before picking up the conversation.

"We'll also need to see them regularly for checkups. Once a week would be good." She arranged it with Byakuya as Grimmjow just relaxed, closing his eyes. He felt a bit tired. He would close his eyes for just a minute, rest them.

Yeah… just a minute…

* * *

"That is so beautiful." Ichigo murmured, watching the sleeping Espada with his sleeping children. Smiling, he watched as Tigre sucked on his thumb.

Tigre looked so much like him that it almost hurt. For one powerful, painful moment, he desperately wished his father and sisters could have seen this moment. He could picture it in his mind's eye. Yuzu cooing, Karin trying to look cool and unaffected, his father grinning as he babbled about his grandchild…

Ichigo sniffed and wiped away tears before forcing the vision aside. It couldn't be. They were gone, he had to accept it, but Tigre was here. Warm and alive and helpless as only a baby could be.

_We'll protect 'em King. Nothing'll get past us._ His hollow sounded fierce and determined and Ichigo smiled, a touch sadly. For once, they were really working together. Could they have defeated Ulquiorra if they'd just worked together? But his birth family hadn't meant much to his hollow. _Eh. Hollows leave the nest and they don't look back, King. It's the little ones that matter._ Ichigo felt his hand moving without his instructions, but didn't stop his hollow. He gently stroked soft, downy orange hair, watching as the child twitched in his sleep.

"She's beautiful too." Ichigo murmured to his hollow, who grumbled a complaint as he switched his attention to little Hisana. "We're not playing favorites." He said firmly to his hollow. Hisana might not be his, but Byakuya was going to be busy with his work. He and Grimmjow would largely be raising the children and he wasn't going to let his hollow snub the little girl.

_Oh, alright. If we were a pack with Grimmjow as the alpha, we'd have to take care of her too. _His hollow gave in with ill grace and Ichigo smiled at the sour tone. _But the next one's going to be ours, just ours!_

"You're obsessed." Ichigo said, amused at his hollow. He'd never have guessed that children would be so important to the white psychopath. "What about Renji?"

_He just wants a good screw. He gets the backdoor, it'll be more familiar to him anyway._ His hollow said firmly and Ichigo choked.

"You're horrible!" Taking a seat beside the bed, Ichigo settled in to wait. "I can't wait to tell Renji you want to dictate our sexual positions." That would be hilarious. His inner hollow sniffed and Byakuya ignored them, familiar with shinigami arguing with their zanpakuto. His attention was all for Hisana anyway. Ichigo watched them together and made a silent vow.

He would die before he let anything happen to Hisana and Tigre.


End file.
